Last Tuesday, Sept. 9, University President Rev. Peter Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., delivered his annual opening address, a longstanding tradition marking the onset of a new academic year. During the event, he shared with the faculty and staff in attendance a wide range of developments pertaining to Villanova’s campus, current policies, future plans and priorities.
Father Peter opened by noting several important dates on the University’s calendar. He mentioned Day of Service– which, this year, will mark the 20th anniversary of this signature program for Villanova– as well as the new “Pops in the Pavillion” event during Family Weekend. He also called attention to 1842 Day, Villanova’s annual day of giving.
The University President also discussed the renovations made to the University’s grounds over the summer. He acknowledged the diligent construction of the to-be new library, which will be located in Vic Maggitti Hall, as a successful project thus far.
The library will be located where Kennedy Hall, previous home of the University Shop and the Office of Financial Assistance, formerly stood.
“It does what we want it to do: make the library the center of academic life here on campus,” Father Peter said.
The dramatic changes to the Connelly Center– namely, the installation of a Wawa convenience store in place of Belle Air Terrace and Holy Grounds– were also discussed during the address. Father Peter spoke highly of the renovation, stating that it was completed in “record time,” and offered an elevated dining and social experience for all community members.
In addition to these large transformations, Father Peter also mentioned the implementation of new turf on the soccer field, the completion of the parking garage by the Health Center and the repair of elevators in Bartley and St. Mary’s Halls.
Details concerning the Commencement for the Class of 2026 were also discussed, including the rescheduling of the ceremony due to the Professional Golf Association Championship’s being held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, just four miles away from campus.
Father Peter laid rumors of the event to rest, regretfully saying, “Pope Leo is not the Commencement speaker…I did ask him…he said no.”
The University President shared updates on Villanova’s acquisition of Cabrini College and its merger with Rosemont College.
In terms of the former, Fr. Peter disclosed that “lots of work” was happening on the campus. He shared that Villanova’s class of 2029, this year’s freshman class, will have the option to live on the Cabrini Campus, where they will live in apartments or dorms and, notably, be able to have cars. He also discussed the installation of a new student union, study halls, academic departments and athletic facilities on the offsite campus. Staff members will soon be taking groups of current freshmen over to the Cabrini Campus to tour potential future living spaces.
Father Peter also revealed key developments in the University’s merger with Rosemont College. He announced that in May 2027, Villanova will assume full operational control of the 47-acre campus, and in May 2029, the merger will be complete.
The future for the Rosemont Campus at Villanova University, the campus’s official name, remains unclear. Father Peter shared that while there are not yet specific plans for how the University will utilize the newly acquired space, he did assure the audience that the addition will “enable Villanova to expand the scale of its mission and faculties.”
The growing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) both at Villanova and in the academic world at large was also touched on. Father Peter thanked the University’s AI task force, a group of students, faculty and staff created by Provost Patrick Maggitti, who focused on how Villanova should use AI, and how it should teach students to utilize this increasingly prevalent tool. In their cumulative report, the task force acknowledged the importance of a proactive, ethical strategy to prepare students for future work with AI at Villanova and beyond.
Father Peter’s address then turned to how the University is handling the Trump administration’s actions pertaining to higher education. In terms of the executive’s cuts to federal funding for research programs and grants, the University President shared that Villanova has not been as “drastically affected” as other institutions, who receive higher amounts of grants from the National Institute of Health, for example.
In regard to the swath of tariff-related orders issued from the Oval Office, Father Peter acknowledged the impact these initiatives are and will continue having on prices.
“I am asking people to be conscious of how you’re spending, because it will affect us,” Father Peter asked University staff and faculty.
Last, Father Peter pointed to the executive order from the Department of Education instructing higher education institutions to dismantle all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. While he did acknowledge the University’s decision to rename the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Unitas: the Office of Community Enrichment in light of these federal orders, the University President reaffirmed Villanova’s commitment to inclusivity for all people, regardless of their backgrounds.
“The tradition of Catholic social teaching promotes dignity in all persons,” he stated. “Diversity, equity and inclusivity reflects the University’s values of veritas, caritas and unitas. It is and always will be who we are as Villanovans, and I do not apologize for it.”
Father Peter’s opening address covered much ground, ranging from topics of campus transformations to political developments. The words and information he shared will surely set the tone as students, faculty and staff members begin the 2025-2026 academic year.
