President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. serves as the 28th President of the University of San Francisco (USF) and has stewarded the Jesuit University towards exceptional civic engagement as well as building out a world class academic institution.

Fr. Fitzgerald is currently Chair of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Trustees of Seattle University. He also serves on the nonprofit board of Bay Scholars, a highly successful program that supports under-resourced students at Bay Area Catholic Secondary Schools.

Born in Burbank Calif. CA, Fr. Fitzgerald earned a B.A. in History from Santa Clara University. Two years later he entered the Society of Jesus. Fr. Fitzgerald earned his M.Div. degree and a Pontifical Licentiate with an emphasis in Ecclesiology at Weston School of Theology, Cambridge MA.

The University of San Francisco Community contributes thousands of service hours to nonprofits within the Bay Area and values community engagement as part of its students’ education. The McCarthy Center at USF offers community-engaged learning (CEL) programs and services that emphasize social justice, equity, and civic engagement. Students in the CEL program help to foster and sustain community partnerships in underserved communities, leading positive community change. Community-engaged learning courses are an integral part of the University’s undergraduate curriculum, providing academic coursework and community-based lessons about social justice issues. At USF all undergraduate students will take at least one community-engaged learning course.