The First Woman President of La Salle University in Philadelphia

La Salle University in Philadelphia has announced the appointment of Colleen M. Hanycz as the university’s 29th president. She will be the first lay president and the first woman president (on a non-interim basis) in the 152-year history of the 6,200-student university. Women make up 65 percent of the undergraduate student body at La Salle University.

Colleen M. Hanycz has been serving as head of Brescia University College, a women’s college in London, Ontario, that is affiliated with the Catholic Church. She had held this post since 2008. From 2003 to 2008, Dr. Hanycz was assistant dean and associate professor of law at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Toronto.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed the next President of La Salle University,” Dr. Hanycz said. “I have a deep appreciation for La Salle’s exceptional values and its sense of purpose and mission. I attended a Lasallian high school, and I understand that the educational charism of the Christian Brothers emphasizes a commitment to academic rigor, a strong sense of social justice and service, and dedication to a transformational educational experience. I am eager to work with the entire La Salle community to build upon La Salle’s strengths and to position it as a leading Catholic university.”

Dr. Hanycz completed her undergraduate history degree at St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto. She holds an LL.B degree from Dalhousie University and an LL.M degree and a Ph.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School.