Rev. Peter Donohue, president of Villanova University, recently reflected on his 15th years leading the campus, writes Hilary Burns for Boston Business Journal as reported in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
The Augustinian priest has the sometimes difficult task of encouraging young adults to sacrifice individual needs to the greater safety g of the student body by adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
The university so far is reporting minimal confirmed coronavirus cases on campus.
The isolation brought on by the virus has been the most difficult part of it all.
“COVID-19 has reassured us that we need each other and we need to be engaged with people. I found that the most challenging part was communicating with everybody through emails or videos,” he said.
A big part of his job, traveling to events, representing the university, has also gone away.
Rev. Donohue now tries to inspire people to be concerned about each other’s health as he worries about how the pandemic has caused financial hardship to schools, has halted Villanova’s campus construction and has the potential to take away the benefits of in-person instruction over the safety of online classes.
Read more about Villanova leadership in the pandemic at Philadelphia Business Journal.
