Preview
Photographer
John G. O'Connor
Date
1965
Description
Rev. William C. McInnes, S.J., was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1923. He enrolled in Boston College in 1940, but enlisted in the Army in 1942 to be trained as a meteorology officer, ultimately serving with the Army Air Forces in the Assam Valley of India and Shanghai, China. He received his B.S. in business administration from Boston College in 1944, and after receiving his honorable discharge, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1946. Fr. McInnes received an M.A. in philosophy from Boston College (1951) and a Ph.D. in business administration from New York University (1954) before being ordained to the priesthood in 1957. He became a professor of business ethics at Boston College in 1959, and Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration in 1961. In 1964, he was appointed President of Fairfield University. Until 1970, he also served as Rector (or local religious superior) of Fairfield’s Jesuit community, the last individual who would combine this role with that of University President.
Fr. McInnes presided over a period of extraordinary growth and change for Fairfield. Events and accomplishments during his tenure include: establishment of the Graduate School of Corporate and Political Communication (1966); establishment of the undergraduate School of Nursing (1970); admission of women to the College of Arts and Sciences (1970); the near doubling of Fairfield’s total enrollment to almost 2,500 students; “Separate incorporation” for Fairfield University and the Fairfield Jesuit Community, redefining Fairfield’s governance structure and relationship to the Jesuit order (completed in 1974); creation of the modern Board of Trustees, with lay as well as Jesuit members, and an overall increase in the number of laymen holding positions of responsibility at Fairfield; participation in the landmark Tilton v. Richardson case (1971), which affirmed the ability of religiously-affiliated colleges and universities to use federal money for the construction of academic buildings; construction of numerous campus facilities, including Regis Hall (1965), the original Barone Campus Center (1966), Jogues Hall (1968), Nyselius Library (1968), Kostka Hall (1970), the Central Utility Facility (1971), the Bannow Science Center (1971), and Claver Hall (1972).
As with other college campuses in this period, the Fr. McInnes era at Fairfield was characterized by various forms of student protest, including a 10-day student strike and seizure of two campus buildings. During Fr. McInnes’ tenure, the physical Office of the President was relocated from Bellarmine Hall to Canisius Hall, closer to students, faculty, and classrooms.
Fr. McInnes became President of the University of San Francisco in 1972 (serving as President of Fairfield as well for four months until the end of that year). From 1977 to 1989, he was President of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. He subsequently served as a campus minister at the University of Connecticut and parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Roman Catholic Parish (both in Storrs, Connecticut). Returning to Boston College in 1998, he taught classes at the Carroll School of Management, served as chaplain of the BC Alumni Association, and established the Campion Visitation Program, connecting BC students, faculty, and staff with retired Jesuits at the Campion Center in Weston, Massachusetts. He died in Weston in 2009.
Publisher
Fairfield University
Collection
Image Archive
Original Format
Photographic print; black-and-white; 8 x 10 in.
Digitization Date
2007
Repository
Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections
Copyright
© Fairfield University. This resource may be used for educational or non-commercial purposes. Please direct any questions to digital@fairfield.edu.
Repository Citation
John G. O'Connor. "Rev. William C. McInnes, S.J. – 5th President of Fairfield University (1964-1973)." 1965. Image Archive. Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections. https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/image-archive/183.