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Boston College picks new president
The Rev. John “Jack” Butler will succeed President William Leahy who plans to step down in the summer of 2026.
Boston College announced Thursday that the Rev. John “Jack” Butler will be the university’s 26th president starting the summer of 2026.
Butler, who currently serves as the school’s vice president for university mission and ministry, will succeed President William Leahy who announced last year that he would step down after three decades in the role.
“[Butler] is a dynamic leader, proven bridgebuilder, and problem-solver who understands the University’s strengths and aspirations and is fully committed to its mission,” BC Board of Trustees Chair John Fish said in the university’s official announcement. “We are very excited for him and the future of Boston College.”
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Reportedly known by the community as “Father Jack,” Butler told The Boston Globe that he considers the Chestnut Hill campus “a family.”
“This isn’t something I was expecting,” he told the Globe. “I’ve been at BC for 23 years, and I’ve been greatly loved in this community. I’ve tried to love it back, and now it’s my job to love it back.”
Butler has served on the current president’s administration team since 2010 and assisted in search committees for all senior administrator positions for the past 15 years, according to the statement.
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“I look forward to working closely with the BC community so that together we can lead Boston College to even greater heights, ever mindful of the responsibility that has been entrusted in me as the University’s next president,” Butler said in the statement shared by the college.
The priest from Atlanta graduated in 1987 from St. Thomas University in Miami, where he earned a degree in religious studies. He went on to earn a master’s degree in theology from Providence College and later, entered the Society of Jesus in 1991. Butler earned an additional master’s degree and a doctorate in pastoral counseling from Loyola University Maryland.
Butler holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the former Weston Jesuit School of Theology, now the Clough School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. He was ordained in 2000 and took final vows as a Jesuit in 2015, according to the statement.
Before entering a career in higher education, Butler worked with incarcerated individuals at St. Joseph Prison Ministry in Framingham as the assistant director and inside counselor.
In previous work at BC, Butler served as director of vocations for the former New England Province of Jesuits and director of Manresa House on the school’s campus that provided information to those who aspired to pursue a vocation to priesthood.
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“I have been involved in education as a teacher and administrator since my early 20s, so it is with great humility and gratitude that I prepare to embark on this new role of leading one of the nation’s best institutions of higher learning,” Butler said in the statement.
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