Loyola University Chicago

University Archives & Special Collections

Administration records

Office of the President

The office of the President was established in 1870 as the Office of the President of St. Ignatius College. Arnold Damen, S.J., founder of St. Ignatius College and Holy Family Parish, served as the first president from 1870 to 1872. Alexander J. Burrowes, S.J., 12th president of St. Ignatius College, became the first president of Loyola University when the college received a new charter in 1909. Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, whose tenure began in 2016, is the 24th president of Loyola University Chicago. She is the first lay-person and the first woman to serve as president of Loyola University Chicago.