John Cecero, S.J., Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, has been appointed rector of Fordham University’s Jesuit residence, succeeding Vincent Duminuco, S.J., Ph.D., who had served in the position since 2001.
The rector oversees the emotional, spiritual and physical well-being of the approximately 25 Jesuit faculty members and administrators who live in Spellman Hall on the Rose Hill campus and manages the operating budget for the facility.
“I am deeply grateful to Father Duminuco for his service as rector,” said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. “He brought to the post an encyclopedic knowledge of Jesuit education, a passionate devotion to Fordham and a wonderfully pastoral concern for all of the members of the Fordham Jesuit community.”
Father Cecero, who became a member of the Society of Jesus in 1976 and was ordained in 1989, joined the Fordham faculty as an assistant professor of psychology in 1998. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and the director of Fordham’s Center for Spirituality and Mental Health.
Father McShane called him a “creative and engaging member of the psychology department and a widely recognized expert on religious life and pastoral counseling.” The Superior General of the Society of Jesus appoints all rectors, and they serve for three years and can be appointed to one additional term.