By Susan Anderson
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| John (Duffy) Sheehan |
The Sheehans’ gift is the first in an initiative to fund the expansion of St. Bonaventure’s undergraduate and graduate programming in the health arena.
“John Sheehan has spent the better part of a decade helping to build a bolder St. Bonaventure,” said Dr. Dennis R. DePerro, president of the university. “Today, John and Sharon’s incredible generosity empowers the university to realize yet another ambitious goal. The School of Health Professions will raise the profile of the university while fulfilling a critical need throughout the Southern Tier of New York state.”
In addition to the bachelor’s degree programs in Public Health and Health Science, the School of Health Professions will add a total of 12 clinical and non-clinical degree programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels over the next five years. Innovative programs in the disciplines of nursing, healthcare security, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies are in the development stages.
The School of Health Professions will not only build on St. Bonaventure’s robust undergraduate science curriculum and prehealth programs, but will also focus on the Franciscan ideals that make the St. Bonaventure educational experience unique.
Of key importance to the Sheehans in making this gift is the immediate and long-lasting results of investing in the School of Health Professions.
“Beginning now, the Sheehans’ generosity allows us to hire the best of the best founding program directors and critical faculty,” said Dr. Douglas J. Pisano, founding dean of the school. “And far into the future, it will continue to serve as a cornerstone of our new school.”
Including his executive positions at Terex Corporation in Westport, Conn., Sheehan has more than 30 years’ experience in global corporate finance, accounting, auditing and management. He previously held leadership positions with Mylan NV, Delphi Automotive and KPMG LLP.
He earned a bachelor of business administration degree with a major in accounting from St. Bonaventure in 1982, and has served as an admissions volunteer and a guest speaker to students in the MBA program. In 2015, he was elected to the Board of Trustees and is currently chair of the Finance and Audit committees.
“I am now able to reflect on what I achieved in my career, and what Sharon and I have realized in our personal lives with three grown children, and we attribute a lot of that success to what I was able to learn at St. Bonaventure,” Sheehan said.
He praised the strong trajectory the university has taken in the past year under DePerro’s leadership. “We have a great president in Dr. DePerro,” he said, adding that this gift is a strong vote of confidence in the president’s vision as well as in the deans, cabinet members, faculty and staff.
Sheehan said he and his wife are excited by the many possibilities and promises inherent in the School of Health Professions and are proud to partner with the school to see it all become reality.
“Our hope is that this gift increases St. Bonaventure’s competitive academic standing and helps draw more students to the school,” he said. “We invite fellow alumni and friends of the university to join us in support of this noteworthy endeavor.”
For more information about the School of Health Professions or to make a gift, please contact Bob Van Wicklin, vice president for Advancement, at (800) 664-1273 or bvanwick@sbu.edu.
