Charles Beirne
Encyclopedia
Charles J. Beirne, S.J.
(September 23, 1938 – July 14, 2010) was an American
Jesuit and academic administrator. Beirne served as the 11th President of Le Moyne College
in Syracuse
, New York
, from 2000 until 2007. During his seven year tenure, Beirne oversaw the drafting of a new mission statement
, launched in the largest capital campaign in Le Moyne's history, grossing $91 million dollars by June 2010 when the campaign ended, and a adopted a twenty year architectural plan for the campus.
, was born in 1938. He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School
in 1956. He received both his bachelor's degree
and master's degree
in history
from Fordham University
. He obtained an additional master's degree in theology
from Woodstock College
in Massachusetts
.
in 1969 and began working as an academic administrator. He received as doctorate
in education
in 1973 from the University of Chicago
. He then worked as an administrator at several Jesuit colleges and high schools, including associate dean of the School of Business at Georgetown University
and the academic vice president of Santa Clara University
. He was headmaster of Regis High School
in Manhattan
, 1978–1983, and assistant director of the Committee on Research and Development of the Jesuit Secondary Education Association at Fordham University, 1977-1978.
Beirne was accidentally posted to Puerto Rico
by the Society of Jesus, his first position in a Spanish-speaking country, . Beirne was supposed to move to Jersey City, New Jersey
, for his post; however, a second Jesuit named Charles Burns, who was originally supposed to go to Puerto Rico, was transferred to Jersey City instead of Beirne. A friend of Beirne's, Father David Casey, later recalled the mix-up in an interview noting, "there was another Jesuit named Charles Burns, who was supposed to be sent to Puerto Rico while Beirne was heading back to his native Jersey City, N.J...But through some mix up it was announced that Beirne was going and a news story appeared announcing his appointment. So Beirne went to the Caribbean
." Beirne served as the principal of Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
.
at the Universidad Centroamericana in El Salvador
during the height of the Salvadoran Civil War. Beirne volunteered to be transferred to the Universidad Centroamericana following the massacre, where he succeeded the late Ignacio Martín-Baró
, S.J., as the Universidad's vice president of academic affairs in 1990. He also became a Latin American affairs advisor to the government of the United States
from the post.
Beirne remained at the Universidad Centroamericana for 1990 until 1993 before transferring to Universidad Rafael Landívar in neighboring Guatemala
. He served as the vice president of Universidad Rafael Landivar until 2000, when he was appointed president of Le Moyne College.
. During his tenure, Beirne developed a 20-year architectural plan for Le Moyne's campus and adopted the college's new mission statement. Beirne also launched a $50 million capital campaign, the largest fundraiser in Le Moyne history's. The capital campaign, which originally aimed to raised $50 million, ultimately grossed $91 million when it ended in June 2010. In addition to his presidency at Le Moyne, Beirne also served on the boards of directors for numerous Syracuse area organizations including the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
, Syracuse 20/20 and the former Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.
Beirne was awarded the Bishop’s Medallion from the Bishop James Michael Moynihan
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
in 2006. He received an honorary degree from Le Moyne College
for work in social justice in 2008.
during the establishment of the first Jesuit university in Africa
. In 2008 Beirne became a visiting professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.
Father Charles Beirne died on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, at Murray-Weigel Hall, a Jesuit hospice center at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. He had been diagnosed with skin cancer
in 1993 and had undergone seventeen surgeries since the diagnosis. In June 2010 he announced that he would no longer receive chemotherapy
for the disease.
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
(September 23, 1938 – July 14, 2010) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Jesuit and academic administrator. Beirne served as the 11th President of Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College, named after Simon Le Moyne, is a private, Jesuit college enrolling over 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, Le Moyne is the first Jesuit college to be founded as a co-educational institution...
in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, from 2000 until 2007. During his seven year tenure, Beirne oversaw the drafting of a new mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
, launched in the largest capital campaign in Le Moyne's history, grossing $91 million dollars by June 2010 when the campaign ended, and a adopted a twenty year architectural plan for the campus.
Early life
Beirne, a native of Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, was born in 1938. He graduated from St. Peter's Preparatory School
St. Peter's Preparatory School
Saint Peter's Preparatory School is a private all-male Jesuit college-preparatory school located in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA...
in 1956. He received both his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
and master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
from Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
. He obtained an additional master's degree in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
from Woodstock College
Woodstock College
Woodstock College was a Jesuit seminary that existed from 1869 to 1974. It was the oldest Jesuit seminary in the United States. The school was located in Woodstock, Maryland, west of Baltimore, from its establishment until 1969, when it moved to New York City, where it operated in cooperation with...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Jesuits
Beirne was ordained a Jesuit priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1969 and began working as an academic administrator. He received as doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
in 1973 from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. He then worked as an administrator at several Jesuit colleges and high schools, including associate dean of the School of Business at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and the academic vice president of Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
. He was headmaster of Regis High School
Regis High School (New York City)
Regis High School is a private Jesuit university-preparatory school for academically gifted Roman Catholic young men located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Annual class enrollment is limited to approximately 135 male students from the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, 1978–1983, and assistant director of the Committee on Research and Development of the Jesuit Secondary Education Association at Fordham University, 1977-1978.
Beirne was accidentally posted to Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
by the Society of Jesus, his first position in a Spanish-speaking country, . Beirne was supposed to move to Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, for his post; however, a second Jesuit named Charles Burns, who was originally supposed to go to Puerto Rico, was transferred to Jersey City instead of Beirne. A friend of Beirne's, Father David Casey, later recalled the mix-up in an interview noting, "there was another Jesuit named Charles Burns, who was supposed to be sent to Puerto Rico while Beirne was heading back to his native Jersey City, N.J...But through some mix up it was announced that Beirne was going and a news story appeared announcing his appointment. So Beirne went to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
." Beirne served as the principal of Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola
Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola
Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola is a Catholic Jesuit college-preparatory school founded by the Society of Jesus in in 1952. The school was originally located in Santurce, but was moved to its current location by the Jesuit fathers in 1956. Colegio San Ignacio is the only Jesuit school in Puerto Rico...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
.
El Salvador and Guatemala
In 1989, six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter, were murderedMurdered scholars of UCA
The massacre of six Jesuit scholars/priests, their housekeeper and her daughter took place on November 16, 1989, at the campus of Universidad Centroamericana "José Simeón Cañas" in San Salvador, El Salvador. The tragic event is commemorated each November 15-16th at UCA, with a demonstration, as...
at the Universidad Centroamericana in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
during the height of the Salvadoran Civil War. Beirne volunteered to be transferred to the Universidad Centroamericana following the massacre, where he succeeded the late Ignacio Martín-Baró
Ignacio Martín-Baró
Ignacio Martín-Baró, S.J. was a scholar, social psychologist, philosopher and Jesuit priest...
, S.J., as the Universidad's vice president of academic affairs in 1990. He also became a Latin American affairs advisor to the government of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the post.
Beirne remained at the Universidad Centroamericana for 1990 until 1993 before transferring to Universidad Rafael Landívar in neighboring Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. He served as the vice president of Universidad Rafael Landivar until 2000, when he was appointed president of Le Moyne College.
President of Le Moyne College
Father Beirne became the 11th President of Le Moyne College in 2000, succeeding Rev. Robert MitchellRobert Mitchell
Robert Mitchell may refer to:* Robert Mitchell , Canadian politician* Robert C. Mitchell , Canadian politician from Ontario* Robert Boyed Mitchell , Australian artist...
. During his tenure, Beirne developed a 20-year architectural plan for Le Moyne's campus and adopted the college's new mission statement. Beirne also launched a $50 million capital campaign, the largest fundraiser in Le Moyne history's. The capital campaign, which originally aimed to raised $50 million, ultimately grossed $91 million when it ended in June 2010. In addition to his presidency at Le Moyne, Beirne also served on the boards of directors for numerous Syracuse area organizations including the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra was a 79 member orchestra located in Syracuse, NY. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and M&T Bank Pops Series....
, Syracuse 20/20 and the former Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.
Beirne was awarded the Bishop’s Medallion from the Bishop James Michael Moynihan
James Michael Moynihan
James Michael Moynihan is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the ninth Bishop of Syracuse.-Biography:...
of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse is a Catholic diocese headquartered in Syracuse, New York, USA. The current bishop is the Most Rev. Robert J. Cunningham. The Diocese of Syracuse includes 350,000 Catholics residing in seven counties of Central and South Central New York State...
in 2006. He received an honorary degree from Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College
Le Moyne College, named after Simon Le Moyne, is a private, Jesuit college enrolling over 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1946, Le Moyne is the first Jesuit college to be founded as a co-educational institution...
for work in social justice in 2008.
Later life
Beirne was transferred from Le Moyne College in 2007 to become a consultantConsultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
during the establishment of the first Jesuit university in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. In 2008 Beirne became a visiting professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.
Father Charles Beirne died on Wednesday, July 14, 2010, at Murray-Weigel Hall, a Jesuit hospice center at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York. He had been diagnosed with skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
in 1993 and had undergone seventeen surgeries since the diagnosis. In June 2010 he announced that he would no longer receive chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
for the disease.