Fr. Bill, a New York native who became a Filipino citizen in the late 1970s. was appointed President of Ateneo de Zamboanga in 1989 and served in that school for 18 years. In that assignment, Fr Bill was at his peak as a leader. Among others, he was looked up to as a civic leader and a vocal and effective advocate for peace in a city that was prone to conflict. ‘
Building on the work of his predecessor Fr. Ernesto A. Carretero SJ, Fr. Bill was instrumental in Ateneo de Zamboanga acquiring its university status in 2001. Today, Ateneo de Zamboanga University is thriving (disclosure: I teach at its College of Law which although new is now one of the top-performing law schools in Mindanao) under the leadership of Fr. Karel San Juan SJ who followed Fr. Bill’s successor Fr. Tony Moreno SJ when the latter, a native of Cagayan de Oro, became Provincial Superior of the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. Read More