Priest named new president of Seton Hall months after his predecessor sued the school

Msgr. Joseph R. Reilly will be Seton Hall University’s 22nd president, after a vote by the school’s Board of Trustees announced on Tuesday.

As Reilly takes the helm of the private Catholic university in South Orange, his predecessor remains in court over the circumstances that led to his sudden departure in July.

The school’s previous president, Joseph Nyre, sued the university in February, alleging that the school’s former board chair, as well as others, acted illegally and in violation of accreditation standards. Nyre has demanded reinstatement, back pay and benefits.

Unlike Nyre, Reilly is a priest, part of a tradition of priest presidents over all but 22 years of the school’s 168-year history.

Reilly attended Seton Hall Prep and graduated from Seton Hall University in 1987. He later served as rector of the College Seminary of the Immaculate Conception at Saint Andrew’s Hall, the university’s undergraduate seminar.

“There is no one better suited to leading the University at this moment — a time when Seton Hall stands at the cusp of extraordinary progress,” said Hank D’Alessandro, chair of the Board of Regents and the search committee.

A native of Mountainside, Reilly also served as dean of the university’s School of Theology, and served on the university board of trustees. Most recently he served as vice provost of academics and Catholic identity.

“Seton Hall is the place where I have come to know the truth about God, about who I am before God, and about what contribution to society that God is inviting me to make,” Reilly said in a press release. “I cannot wait to engage our community as together we strive to bring new life to the timeless Catholic mission that makes Seton Hall unique among American universities.”

In his lawsuit Nyre said that because of his whistleblowing, school staff gaslighted and intimidated him, and retaliated against him, causing him to step down. He also alleged he left his position due to the sexual harassment of his wife.

The suit is still pending, and was amended last month to include additional allegations against the former chair, who is not named as a defendant in the court papers. Nyre also claimed in March that he was the target of pressure to admit unqualified students to the School of Health. The university has attempted to dismiss the case.

Before Nyre’s departure, a number of Seton Hall Law School employees were found to have cheated the school out of more than $975,000, but no one has been charged. The dean of the law school, Kathleen M. Boozang, stepped down from the helm but returned to the classroom.

Katia Passerini, who served as interim president, will return to being the school’s provost after Reilly becomes president on July 1.

“Monsignor Reilly was the ideal choice,” D’Alessandro said. “He possesses a deep faith in God and a demonstrable commitment to nurturing our students to greatness as we advance among the nation’s foremost Catholic universities.”

Staff reporter Ted Sherman contributed reporting.

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Tina Kelley may be reached at tkelley@njadvancemedia.com.