Katia Passerini was named interim president of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. Her appointment comes on the heels of the announcement that Joseph Nyre, president of the university since 2019 was immediately stepping down from his post.
“In the coming months, the university will complete its three-year strategic plan, Harvest Our Treasures, which has elevated Seton Hall to greater eminence in Catholic higher education,” President Nyre said in his message to the campus community. “With the conclusion of Harvest Our Treasures in sight, I believe this is an appropriate time for new leadership to help write the next chapter of Seton Hall’s remarkable story. As such, I have informed the board of regents that I will be taking a sabbatical during the upcoming year and then plan to relinquish my position as president.”
No mention was made of the fact that in the past year the university discovered employees had bilked the university law school of nearly $1 million. The dean of the law school resigned after the disclosure.
Dr. Passerini has served as provost and executive vice president since June 2020. Previously, she served as the Lesley H. and William L. Collins Distinguished Chair and dean of the Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. Earlier, she was dean of the Albert Dorman Honors College at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Dr. Passerini is the coauthor of Information Technology for Small Business: Managing the Digital Enterprise (Springer, 2012).
Dr. Passerini holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Rome. She earned an MBA and a Ph.D. in information systems from George Washington University.