Jersey City – Saint Peter’s College reports today the passing of its President, James N. Loughran, S.J. He was 66. Father Loughran became the 21st President in the College’s history in 1995.
“Throughout his life, Father Loughran put into practice the words of Saint Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, to serve as a man for others,” said Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs. “He welcomed the opportunity to return to Saint Peter’s as its President more than 10 years ago after serving as a Philosophy teacher here in the 1960s. Father Loughran led our institution with grace, dignity and a profound enthusiasm for all associated with Saint Peter’s.”
Father Loughran was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 22, 1940. He was a 1957 graduate of Brooklyn Prep. He entered the Society of Jesus in July of 1958. Father Loughran attended the College of the Holy Cross and Fordham University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in History, summa cum laude, from Fordham in 1964. He also earned a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Fordham. He studied Theology in France and at Woodstock College in New York. He was ordained on June 11, 1970 and took his final vows on December 8, 1978.
Since 1984, Father Loughran served as President at four colleges. He was the President of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California from 1984-1991; Acting President of Brooklyn College in 1992 and Interim President of Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmittsburg, Maryland from 1993-1994.
Father Loughran also served in a variety of teaching and administrative posts in his career. He was an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Fordham from 1974-1984. Father Loughran held the Edmund Miller, S.J., Philosophy Professorship at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio from 1992-1993. Prior to returning to Saint Peter’s as President, Father Loughran was Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Interim Dean of the Arts and Sciences faculty at Fordham. He authored many articles for various publications.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City. The College has a branch campus for adults in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and also offers courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront and in South Amboy, NJ.
For more information see Remembering Rev. James N. Loughran, S.J.
