Patrick H. Rombalski has been named vice president of student affairs at Boston College. Since 2002, he has served as vice president of student affairs at John Carroll University, near Cleveland, Ohio. He will take up his position at Boston College on June 1, 2008, succeeding Cheryl Presley, who stepped down at the end of the 2006–07 academic year after six years in the post.

The former assistant and associate director of residential life at Fairfield University (1990–93) and director of residential life at the University of Scranton (1993–97), Rombalski served as John Carroll’s dean of students for five years before becoming vice president. For the past six years, he has supervised 14 departments at the 3,800-student (undergraduate and graduate) university. He has created offices of judicial affairs and orientation, set up a coordinator for commuter and off-campus affairs, and professionalized the residence life staff, moving away from a reliance on graduate students as hall directors toward coordinators trained at the master’s level. Programming on alcohol, sexual assault, gender, diversity, and relationships has received greater focus and coordination during his tenure; and Greek life has come under increased oversight.

Rombalski also chairs John Carroll’s mission coordinating committee, whose purpose is to sustain ongoing campus discussions of the university’s Jesuit Catholic traditions and commitment to academic freedom. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Marquette University and a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania.

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