Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, presently the University’s provost, has been appointed interim president of Seton Hall University, Kurt T. Borowsky, chair of the Board of Regents, announced June 16. Esteban will serve a one-year term, effective July 1, 2010.

“We are very fortunate to have a well-regarded administrator with such proven experience accept the role of interim president,” said Borowsky. “Dr. Esteban knows the University intimately and is ideally positioned to carry on Seton Hall’s tradition of academic excellence and its Catholic mission and values.”

Gabriel Esteban was appointed Provost at Seton Hall University in August 2007, having previously served as Provost, Dean of the College of Business, and Professor of Marketing at the University of Central Arkansas. He holds a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Irvine, an M.S. in Japanese Business Studies from Chaminade University in Honolulu, and an M.B.A. and B.S. in Mathematics from the University of the Philippines.

“I am honored to be a part of this great institution and to carry on its nationally recognized leadership in Catholic higher education” said Esteban. “I look forward to continuing my work with the entire community to support the intellectual and spiritual life of our students,” he added.

Esteban received specialized training in Leading Transformation and Change at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and completed the Japan Management Program at the Japan-America Institute for Management Science in Honolulu. As Provost at Seton Hall, he has been responsible for the formulation of the University’s new strategic plan as he has overseen the administration of all eight colleges and schools, the division of Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management.

He succeeds Monsignor Robert Sheeran who is stepping down after serving as Seton Hall’s president for the past 15 years. Monsignor Sheeran will begin a one-year academic sabbatical studying in Berkeley and Jerusalem, beginning in July.

Dr. Larry A. Robinson, presently serving as vice provost for Academic Affairs, will serve as interim provost, beginning July 1.

The Board of Regents will review the ongoing presidential search process to determine the next steps toward identifying a permanent leader for Seton Hall.