Buffalo, NY (WBEN) John Hurley announced the upcoming academic year will be his last as president of Canisius College. Hurley has served as president of the school for 12 years.
He joined Canisius in August 1997 as vice president for college relations and general counsel, after practicing law in Chicago and Buffalo for 16 years. In 2009, the college's Board of Trustees selected Hurley to succeed Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J. and he became the college's first lay president in July 2010. "It has truly been a labor of love for an institution that means everything to me. But, having just turned 65 and having led the college safely and successfully through the Covid-19 pandemic, it's time to step down and move on to the next phase in my life. Everything that we have done over the past 12 years has been aimed at positioning Canisius to thrive in a disrupted higher education landscape. The stage is set for the next president to take Canisius to a whole new level of excellence," says Hurley.
Prior to his appointment as president, Hurley served as executive vice president of Canisius from 2007 to 2010 and vice president for college relations from 1997 to 2010.
Part of his next chapter will be to continue his service in the Movement to Restore Trust, which is developing a lay response to the Catholic Church's handling of the clergy abuse crisis in the Diocese.
