Fr. Russel Murray, O.F.M., has been named vice president for Mission Integration at St. Bonaventure University, President Dennis R. DePerro, Ed.D., announced today. He begins work Aug. 19.

Fr. Russel will also be a visiting associate professor of theology.

Since becoming president in 2017, DePerro has been committed to developing a plan to more formally integrate the university’s mission and values into all aspects of academic and campus life.

“I am extremely impressed with Fr. Russel and have tremendous faith that he will be able to work with me and our entire campus community to embed our Franciscan mission and university values in all that we do,” said DePerro, who established a Presidential Mission Commission in the fall of 2017

Since then, the group recommended hiring a vice president for Mission Integration, updated the university’s mission statement, and refined the university’s value set to better reflect St. Bonaventure’s Franciscan tradition.

Since 2015, Fr. Russel has been the general animator for evangelization and president of the Commission for Dialogue at the General Curia of the Order of Friars Minor in Rome, Italy.

As general animator, he advised the general minister and his council on all endeavors promoting the evangelizing mission of the order. As Commission president, he advised the general minister and his council on matters pertaining to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

“As a Franciscan friar of Holy Name Province, it is a privilege for me to follow in the footsteps of my brothers in serving the St. Bonaventure University community,” Fr. Russel said. “I’m excited to be doing so now as the university, under the leadership of President DePerro, strives to realize its ongoing, 161-year-old commitment to its Franciscan mission and values for a new generation.”

From 2011-2014, Fr. Russel was the director of Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy at Siena College. He’s also taught systematic theology at Washington Theological Union and the Franciscan School of Theology at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia in Oceanside, California.

“As our student body and campus community becomes more diverse each year, Fr. Russel’s experience in interreligious dialogue is so important for us,” DePerro said. “Add that to his experience as an academic in the classroom and his work with students at Siena, and I’m not sure we could have found a better candidate.”

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, we believe in the goodness of every person and in the ability of every person to do extraordinary things. St. Bonaventure University cultivates graduates who are confident and creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, and innovative problem solvers who are respectful of themselves, others, and the diverse world around them. Named the #1 regional university value in New York and #2 in the North by U.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, graduate schools and careers in the context of our renowned liberal arts tradition.