Photo | Grant Welker
Assumption College
May 5, 2020
Assumption extends president's contract five years
Photo | Grant Welker
Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo
By Grant Welker
Francesco Cesareo, already the president of Assumption College for nearly 13 years, has had his contract extended for five additional years, the Worcester school said Monday.
Assumption's board of trustees renewed his contract in February, but the announcement was delayed as the college has dealt with the coronavirus outbreak. Assumption suspended operations at its Rome campus in early March when the virus was beginning to hit northern Italy, and a few weeks later moved all of its courses online through the end of the semester. The school established a $3-million fund to provide additional financial aid for students whose families are facing financial hardship because of the outbreak.
Cesareo, the president since 2007, has overseen other changes in recent years at Assumption, including a transition to the name Assumption University in June. The name change is meant to better appeal to potential students abroad who see the name college as more synonymous with high school. The school first went abroad in 2013 when it opened its Rome campus.
As for physical changes to the campus, Assumption opened the Tinsley Campus Ministry Center in 2012 and the Tsotsis Family Academic Center in 2017, and the new Health Sciences Building is slated to open this fall.
Assumption has also rearranged its majors into five separate schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Nursing, the School of Health Professions and the School of Graduate & Professional Studies. New majors have included cybersecurity, data analytics and nursing as Assumption has broadened away from a liberal arts foundation to also offer degrees in more sought-after job fields.
Assumption trustees Chairman Francis Bedard, an alumnus, said in a statement the college has thrived under Cesareo's leadership.
“The trustees are impressed by the vision created and realized by Francesco such as the expansion of in-demand academic programs, the addition of new academic facilities and his commitment to, and embracing, Assumption’s Catholic identity and the importance of the liberal arts," Bedard said.
Under Cesareo, Assumption has formed new articulation agreements to allow its students to more seamlessly complete advanced degrees in engineering, health, pharmacy and other areas at colleges including Duke University, Northeastern University and the University of Notre Dame.
Student diversity has increased during Cesareo's tenure. African-American, Latino-American, Asian-American and Native American students made up 7% of the student body when his tenure began but comprise 18% today.
Cesareo graduated from Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, a former school in New York, and earned a master’s degree and doctorate from Fordham University in New York. He was a Fulbright Scholar who studied at the University of Rome and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
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