• Seton Hall University
• Office of the President

Monsignor Joseph R. Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., began his tenure as the University’s 22nd president on July 1, 2024. Since then, he has led multiple efforts to enhance Seton Hall’s historic strengths for a new generation of Pirates. Guided by a robust vision for what the University can be, Monsignor Reilly is elevating Seton Hall’s standing among leading Catholic higher education institutions.

Developments in the first year of his presidency include a reimagining of the University’s goals and aspirations, which are coming to life in a new strategic plan. This plan is comprehensive, ambitious and achievable — setting a clear path for Seton Hall to attain greater eminence.

Under Monsignor Reilly’s leadership, the University is further energizing academics, athletics, Catholic mission, enrollment, faculty support, fundraising and campus infrastructure. With several major initiatives in the planning phase, the Setonian community can expect great strides this year and beyond.

A Mountainside, N.J. native, Monsignor Reilly attended Seton Hall Prep and graduated from the University in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Newark in 1991. In 2002, he returned to the University as Rector of the College Seminary at St. Andrew’s Hall.

In 2012, he was named Rector/Dean of Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, where he served until 2022. During this period, he helped strengthen the University’s Catholic foundation as a member of the Board of Trustees. After a year’s sabbatical, he undertook his most recent post as Vice Provost of Academics and Catholic Identity.

In this role, he worked to integrate the University’s Catholic mission into academics — particularly local and international initiatives, and academic programs that make Seton Hall an icon of Catholic higher education.

His appointment marks the return of a priest-president to Seton Hall, which had been a hallmark of the University for 146 years of its 168-year history.

Monsignor Reilly has played key roles in multiple pontificates. St. John Paul II named him a chaplain to His Holiness in 2005 with the title of Reverend Monsignor, and Pope Francis appointed him a Missionary of Mercy in 2015.

He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology (S.T.B.) from Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum in Rome; and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University.