Tonight, I will be introducing a resolution to recognize Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. for his honorable service as the President of Providence College. Rev. Shanley is the longest-serving president in the 100-year history of Providence College and is also the only Rhode Island native to ever serve as president.

On June 30, 2020, Father Shanley’s tenure as president of Providence College ended following fifteen years of guiding the school through a period of remarkable change and growth.

Under Father Shanley’s presidency, the College built upon its proud heritage as a Catholic, liberal arts institution, sustained its commitment to its ideals, and modified both practices and facilities in ways that have enhanced its national profile. As a result, Providence College created a sustainable platform for long-term success.

Father Shanley has overseen a substantial transformation of the Providence College campus including the additions of the Ruane Center for the Humanities, the Arthur F. and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies, and the Ruane Friar Development Center, as well as a completely re-envisioned model for pedestrian and vehicular movement around the campus.

Father Shanley made diversity a high priority of his administration. Establishing the advancement of diversity as one of the core values of both Providence College’s 2011 Strategic Plan and its 2018 successor plan was crucial to growth. The plans resulted in the percentage of undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds almost tripling (to approximately 20 percent of the student body population) since 2005, and the percentage of diverse full-time faculty has risen from eight percent to 17 percent over the same time period.

Providence College is one of the ten largest employers within the City of Providence and a major driver of the local economy. As a result of Father Shanley’s leadership, the College maintained a strong commitment to the City through more than 55,000 hours of student community service assisting over 150 different social service agencies, community groups, public, private and charter schools, and city government offices.

I wish to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. for his dedicated service to the residents of the City of Providence through his 15 years serving as the President of Providence College and I wish him well on this next chapter.

David A. Salvatore
Providence City Council
Councilor – Ward 14