John L. Lahey

John L. Lahey, PhD, served as Quinnipiac's president from 1987 to 2018. Upon his arrival at Quinnipiac, Lahey initiated a strategic planning process, leading to the university's impressive growth, including student enrollment growth by 365%, total square footage of the campus by 483% and the number of full-time faculty by 223%. Lahey directed the development of two additional campuses — expanding the physical plant from 100 acres to 604 acres — the 250-acre York Hill Campus to meet the needs of undergraduates and serve as home to the ice hockey and basketball teams, and the 104-acre North Haven Campus to house graduate and health professions programs, including the medical school, which opened in 2012.
 
Under Lahey's tenure as president, Quinnipiac moved from being recognized as a college to a university, and the athletic programs moved to Division I. Quinnipiac also created the National Institute for Community Health Education and the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management; established the nationally recognized Quinnipiac University Poll; created the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award Luncheon in New York City; built the lacrosse/soccer and field hockey stadiums complex on Hogan Road; and added the School of Law, the School of Engineering, and the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine.
 
Lahey earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of Miami, bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from the University of Dayton and a second master's degree in higher education administration from Columbia University.