The Rev. Dennis Dease is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest, who served as the 14th president of the University of St. Thomas in

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

from his election in 1991 to 2013.

Biography

Father Dease earned a B.A. degree in Latin and philosophy from The

Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...

in 1965, an M.A. degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 1972, a

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

degree from The Saint Paul Seminary in 1973, and a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

degree in systematic theology from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

in 1978. He was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in 1969. He was associate pastor at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in

Hopkins, Minnesota Hopkins is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, located west of Minneapolis. The population was 19,079 at the 2020 census. The city is four square miles in size and is surrounded by the larger suburban communities of ...

, taught theology at the University of St. Thomas and served as spiritual director and dean of formation at The Saint Paul Seminary. From 1985 to 1991, he was rector of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis. He is a tenured faculty member at The Saint Paul Seminary. Father Dease, who is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, was one of 54 applicants for the University of St. Thomas presidency. Of the four finalists, two were not from the local archdiocese. During Father Dease's presidency, St. Thomas under his leadership continued its growth in programs and facilities, adding six major buildings to its St. Paul campus and establishing a Minneapolis campus of four buildings for its

Opus College of Business The Opus College of Business is the business school of the University of St. Thomas, a private Roman Catholic university in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Since October 19, 2006, it is named for The Opus Group in recognition of the compa ...

, Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, School of Education, Graduate School of Professional Psychology and

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

. He also established nationally recognized Centers for Catholic Studies and Irish Studies. He opened a residential campus in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and semester-abroad programs in Rome for Catholic Studies majors, in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

for business majors, in

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for liberal arts majors and in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

for English majors. In addition, he has established several faculty and student exchange programs with universities throughout the world, including a covenant with the

University of Havana The University of Havana (UH; ) is a public university located in the Vedado district of Havana, the capital of Cuba. Founded on 5 January 1728, the university is the oldest in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas. Originall ...

in 2000 which was celebrated by a series of baseball games played both in Havana and in the

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. Father Dease has served on numerous boards and committees, including the

Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) is a voluntary association of delegates from Catholic institutions of higher learning. ACCU lists a total 230 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Histor ...

, the Minnesota Private College Council, Research Foundation and Fund, and The

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, all three of which he has chaired. He also has been a board member of the

National Catholic Education Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association. It represents over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs in the United States. ...

, has served on the Priestly Life and Ministry, Domestic Policy and Education Committees of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic C ...

(USCCB), and serves as a consultant to the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace. He also served as the American representative on the

International Federation of Catholic Universities The International Federation of Catholic Universities () is an organisation of 226 Catholic universities throughout the world. The secretariat is at the Institut Catholique de Paris. History The federation has its origins in collaboration in 192 ...

board and on the Policy Analysis and Public Relations Committee of the

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it is made up of over 1,000 indepe ...

board. He is active philanthropically in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, serving on the board of directors of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, and in

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, where he founded and chairs the Board of Directors of Hope Medical Clinics (HMC), headquartered in Kampala. HMC consists of two clinics and a hospital. He serves on the boards of Packaging Incorporated and Premier Banks in the Twin Cities, and formerly served on boards of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and the former American National Bank of St. Paul. Father Dease served as a founding member of the board of directors of Southern Catholic College in

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from 2001 until its closing in 2010 due to lack of funding. He has served on the board of trustees of St. Thomas since 1982. On Oct. 6, 2008, Father Dease received the

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association. It represents over 150,000 educators in Roman Catholic Church, Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs i ...

’s highest honor—the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award—in recognition of his lifelong work as a Catholic educator. Father Dease retired as St. Thomas president on June 30, 2013. He was succeeded by Dr. Julie Sullivan on July 1, 2013. Prior to her election to the presidency of St. Thomas, Dr. Sullivan had served as executive vice president and provost of the University of San Diego. She is the first woman and first lay person to serve as St. Thomas president. Honorary doctorates: *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, St. Catherine University. *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, St. John's University. *Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, 2013, University of St. Thomas. Awards: *Society of the Arches Socius Fidelissimus Award for Contributions of Time and Talent to the University Community, University of St. Thomas Alumni Association. *Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2013, University of St. Thomas Alumni Association. *Justitia et Lex Award, 2013, University of St. Thomas School of Law. *Dean's Medal of Excellence, 2013, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. *ELS International Pathways Award for Lifetime Contribution to International Education, 2013, ELS Educational Services. *Opus Sancti Thomae Award, 2013, Saint Thomas Academy. *Legacy of Leadership Award, 2013, Saint Paul Chamber of Commerce. *Honorary Membership in Recognition of Professional Achievement, 2013,

Beta Gamma Sigma Beta Gamma Sigma () is an international business honor society. Founded in 1913 at the University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and the University of California, it has over 980,000 members, selected from more than 600 collegiate chapters i ...

, University of St. Thomas-Minnesota Chapter. *Recognition Award for Contributions to the People of Uganda, 2010 Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) Convention & Trade Expo. *For Delivering Keynote Address to the DICOTA Convention 2010 and Unmeasurable Contribution to the Tanzanian Community Diaspora Council of Tanzanians in America. *Partner in Hope Award, 2009, Hope for the city. *Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, 2008, National Catholic Education Association. *Recognition for Outstanding Dedication, Commitment and Leadership, 2008, The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission. *Pope John XXIII Award, 2004, Viterbo University. *Certificate of Appreciation: “Recognition for encouragement of the next generation of business owners,” 2003, Saint Louis University. *“Good Neighbor Award,” 1991, WCCO Radio. *Harriet P. Burns Award, 1990, College of St. Thomas Faculty of Professional Psychology. *Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, 1987.

Biography

Footnotes

Further reading