Assumption University Formally Inaugurates Greg Weiner, Ph.D., as its 17th President

Today, Dr. Greg Weiner was installed as Assumption University’s 17^th president. The inauguration ceremony featured long-established University traditions including an academic procession including faculty, trustee representatives, and delegates from regional colleges and universities, musical selections, community speakers, and the traditional president’s address, where Dr. Weiner shared his vision for the future of the University.

“There are two reasons for confidence in Assumption University,” Dr. Weiner remarked during his inaugural address. “One is what is changing. The second is what never will. Assumption seeks the formation of students for lives of meaning, purpose, and impact—including meaningful and rewarding work. We prepare students for their first jobs and their second, third and fourth careers. But we do much more. We build every program of study on the sturdy foundation of the Catholic tradition of inquiry, a tradition that, at its best, speaks universally, to people of all backgrounds and faiths. And because we situate technical information in the context of enduring ideas, an Assumption education remains relevant through a lifetime of change.”

He continued, “On the horizon, ready to be discovered—is where Assumption’s brightest and boldest days await us. In the company of friends, we will learn and teach. In the company of friends, we will confront challenges and seize opportunities. And make no mistake. In the company of friends, in the face of any challenge, committed to our mission and to its constant renewal, Assumption University will thrive. Together, today, we begin.”

Special guests and speakers included the Most Reverend Robert J. McManus, S.T.D., HD ’12, Bishop of the Diocese of Worcester; Rabbi Aviva Fellman, Congregation Beth Israel, Worcester; the Honorable Joseph Petty, Mayor of Worcester; Chair of the Assumption University Board of Trustees, Francis J. Bedard, Esq ’81; and the Very Reverend Dennis M. Gallagher, A.A. ’69, Provincial Superior of North America, Augustinians of the Assumption, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees. Rabbi Aviva Fellman bestowed a special blessing upon Dr. Weiner as he was installed as the first Jewish president of a catholic college or university in the United States.

About President Greg Weiner, Ph.D.

An expert in the political thought of the American Founding, Dr. Weiner holds a Ph.D. in government from Georgetown University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Brown University prior to joining Assumption in 2011 as an assistant professor of political science. He was appointed associate professor and then full professor, and in 2019, became the University’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. Dr. Weiner was elected as Assumption’s president last October after serving six months as interim president.

A prolific political science writer and speaker, Dr. Weiner’s articles have been published in The New York Times and The Washington Post in addition to several national magazines. George F. Will has written that he ranks “among the most prolific and profound contemporary writers on political philosophy.”

Dr. Weiner is also the author of four books on American political thought and enjoyed an influential presence in Washington D.C. Among his roles in national politics, Weiner served as communications director and policy advisor to several U.S. Senators and founded the Washington, D.C.-based speech writing firm Content Communications, LLC.

A recording of the 3:00 p.m. inauguration ceremony will be available by visiting https://www.assumption.edu/inauguration.