College President
Rev. John Denning, C.S.C.
Rev. John F. Denning, C.S.C., took office as the tenth president of Stonehill College in 2013. A student-focused educator in the faith, he is committed to enhancing the College’s scholarly reputation, Holy Cross identity and student experience.
Fr. Denning has established programs that ensure students’ success and encourage them to use their knowledge and skills to positively impact the world. Throughout his tenure, he has presided over the development of several new undergraduate and graduate programs. He led the College’s reorganization into two schools: the May School of Arts & Sciences and the Meehan School of Business. In 2019, he oversaw the re-accreditation process for the New England Commission of Higher Education.
From 2021 to 2023, he helped shepherd the public phase of Stonehill’s record-setting TO BE BOLD campaign, which raised $77.3 million in support of the institution. In 2022, he announced that the College had accepted an invitation to join the NEC, and he successfully guided Stonehill’s NCAA Division I reclassification process through its completion. In 2026, he led the launch of Built to Rise, a $50 million fundraising initiative supporting the construction of the Tom & Kathleen Bogan Arena, featuring a basketball center and an ice hockey rink, as well as an Athletic Fields Complex with upgraded baseball and softball fields.
Additionally, he has strengthened the College’s physical infrastructure with several major capital improvement projects, including the construction of the Leo J. Meehan School of Business; the Thomas & Donna May School of Arts & Sciences; the Rev. Mark T. Cregan, C.S.C., Athletic and Fitness Center; and the Rev. Thomas Feeley, C.S.C., Pedestrian Bridge. He also oversaw the installation of solar panels on campus and expanded the College’s footprint through the acquisition of Moreau Hall, a former elementary school adjacent to Stonehill’s campus, and Easton Country Club, a 150-acre golf course.
Fr. Denning serves as a trustee on the boards of many other institutions and organizations, including King’s College, Xaverian Brothers High School and the Diocese of Fall River Catholic Schools Board.
Prior to his presidency, Fr. Denning served as the College’s Vice President for Student Affairs, as well as the inaugural Vice President for Mission, launching initiatives to enhance Stonehill’s Catholic identity. He began his service at the College in 2000 as Director of Campus Ministry.
Fr. Denning’s breadth of experience extends beyond Stonehill College. He was a campus minister at the Catholic Center at Bridgewater State University; teacher, coach, and chaplain at Coyle & Cassidy High School; and vocations director for the Congregation of Holy Cross. He was ordained as a Holy Cross priest in 1987, and his first assignment from the Congregation was with Holy Cross Parish in Easton, Massachusetts.
A Rhode Island native, Fr. Denning graduated from LaSalle Academy in Providence. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tulane University. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. He earned a doctorate in higher education from the University of Massachusetts Boston.