By Shannon West
Staff Writer
Dr. Robert J. Wickenheiser, former president of St. Bonaventure University from 1994-2003, died last Wednesday at the age of 72. A Mass of Christian burial took place Tuesday at St. John’s Parish in Olean.
“He was always very gracious to me,” said Sister Margaret Carney, O.S.F., 20th president of the university. “[His personality] was forceful, energetic, strong and action-oriented. He enjoyed a good joke and once he was convinced of the rightness of something, he would take that course of action.”
As the first layman to be appointed to the office of president, he made many advancements throughout his ten years in office, according to Sister Margaret. During his time as university president, he supported the development of Clare College and played a key role in expanding University Ministries. He helped establish the Franciscan Center for Social Concern, the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, the Sandra A. and William L. Richter Center, as well as the beginnings of the William F. Walsh Science Center. He also reached out to Catholic secondary schools, establishing scholarships to help strengthen relationships with the university, she said.
“He was trying to build up academics [and] our Franciscan identity,” said Sister Margaret. “He was passionate about Catholic education. He was very keen to make sure that our Franciscan mission was strong, and he was very interested in what we were doing with Franciscan education in this institute.”
Before his election, he received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Benedict’s College and master’s and doctoral degrees in English Literature from the University of Minnesota. According to Sister Margaret, he was a Renaissance scholar of the poetry and writings of John Milton, publishing numerous articles and reviews in journals such as the PMLA Abstracts, George Herbert Journal, Milton Quarterly and the Princeton Library Chronicle.
“He was also an academic, and he had quite a record of academic achievement,” said Sister Margaret. “He understood the humanities. He understood great literature and the importance of a liberal arts education. His dedication to a liberal arts education was unquestioned.”
In 1993, the university had a serious budget crisis and the university needed strong leadership to correct financial difficulties, according to Sister Margaret. When he was elected, he got the university into a “reasonable financial position” despite all the difficulties the university faced, she added.
“It was all of the tough actions that he had to take because money was scarce,” said Sister Margaret.
In 2003, Wickenheiser resigned amidst a controversy involving a transfer student being admitted to play Division I basketball despite lacking adequate transfer credit required by the NCAA. Sanctions were imposed by the Atlantic 10 Conference. Wickenheiser took full responsibility for the affair, according to a previous Bonaventure publication.
“People have a tendency to remember negatives, and we can lose sight of the fact that this was a man who loved St. Bonaventure and who worked hard,” said Sister Margaret. “I think that at this moment in time our obligation is to look back and remember the many positive contributions that we take for granted today.”
westsm14@bonaventure.edu
