Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., was elected to the Marquette University Board of Trustees in 2009. He has served as the 24th president of the University of Scranton since 2003.
After receiving his bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University, Father Pilarz entered the Society of Jesus in 1981 and was ordained a priest in 1992. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from Fordham University and master's degrees in divinity and theology from the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in English at the City University of New York, and his dissertation, Sacerdotal Self-Fashioning: Priesthood in the Poetry of Robert Southwell, S.J., and John Donne, won the 1997 CUNY Alumni Achievement Prize for Dissertation Excellence. While completing doctoral studies, he was appointed to the English faculty of St. Joseph's University in 1994. In 1996 he joined the Georgetown faculty as an assistant professor of English. In 2002 he was appointed interim University Chaplain.
As a scholar, Father Pilarz has delivered numerous papers at conferences on various aspects of medieval and Renaissance literature. He has also lectured and published on topics related to Jesuit education. His articles on John Donne, St. Robert Southwell, S.J., and medieval drama have appeared in academic journals and collections of essays. His book, Robert Southwell, S.J., and the Mission of Literature 1561-1595: Writing Reconciliation, has been published by Ashgate Press.
Father Pilarz serves as the Association of Jesuit Colleges Universities representative to the American Council on Education board of directors. He also serves on the boards of Boston College, the Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton Tomorrow, and as chair of the board of Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill, N.J., from which he graduated. Father Pilarz also served from 2005 to 2008 on the State Ethics Commission for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The leadership skill of Father Pilarz was recognized through his inclusion among the 38 successful individuals profiled by Ronald Shapiro in The New York Times bestseller Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin. In addition, Father Pilarz received the Slovak Republic St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Sciences Great Medal of St. Elizabeth Award in 2008, as well as the Lackawanna Bar Association Chief Justice Michael J. Eagan Award for Dedicated Service. In 2009, Father Pilarz received the John Carroll Award from Georgetown University, which honors alumni whose achievements exemplify the ideals and traditions of Georgetown University and its founder, Archbishop John Carroll. Father Pilarz was also recognized by the Georgetown Alumni Association in 2002 with the William Gaston Award for Outstanding Service and was chosen by the graduating class of 1999 to receive the Edward B. Bunn, S.J., Award for Faculty Excellence, which recognizes outstanding teaching and service.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
- Mr. Ned W. Bechthold
- Ms. Natalie A. Black
- Mr. John F. Ferraro
- Rev. James P. Flaherty, S.J.,
- Mr. Richard J. Fotsch
- Rev. James G. Gartland, S.J.,
- Mr. Darren R. Jackson
- Mr. James F. Janz
- Mr. Jeffrey A. Joerres
- Rev. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J.
- Mr. John P. Lynch
- Rev. James P. McDermott, S.J.
- Dr. Arnold L. Mitchem
- Rev. Joseph M. O'Keefe, S.J.
- Mr. James D. O'Rourke
- Mr. Ulice Payne, Jr.
- Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
- Ms. Kristine A. Rappe
- Mr. Joseph J. Rauenhorst
- Mr. Glenn A. Rivers
- Mr. James A. Runde
- Hon. W. Greg Ryberg
- Mrs. Mary Ladish Selander
- Ms. Mary Ellen Stanek
- Mr. John J. Stollenwerk
- Mr. Charles M. Swoboda
- Ms. Cherryl T. Thomas
- Rev. Thomas H. Tobin, S.J.
- Ms. Rhona Vogel
- Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J.
- Mr. Charles M. Williams, Jr.
- Ms. Anne A. Zizzo
Quick Facts About Marquette
| Identity: | Catholic, Jesuit, private |
| Established: | 1881 |
| Location: | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Undergraduate: | 8,048 |
| Postgraduate: | 3,500 |
| Campus: | Urban, 90 acres |
| Athletics: | 14 NCAA Division I teams (Big East) |
| Colors: | Blue and Gold |
