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Making History and Securing the Future
ON SEPTEMBER 22, IN AN EVENT SOLEMN AND CELEBRATORY, SALVADOR ACEVES, ED.D., WAS FORMALLY INSTALLED IN THE POSITION HE HAD HELD FOR MORE THAN EIGHT MONTHS: THE FIRST LATINO, FIRST LAY AND 27TH PRESIDENT IN REGIS UNIVERSITY’S 146-YEAR HISTORY.
“The title of President of Regis University is the greatest honor of my professional career and I am indeed humbled by it” Aceves told the hundreds of political and faith leaders and luminaries who gathered in St. John Francis Regis Chapel for the occasion.
“I sought this role not for my ego, but as a servant of God's word,” he said. This new chapter Regis’ life began with accolades for the University and its leader.
Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, a Regis alumna, recalled that when she attended Regis in the 1970s, not long after women were admitted, there was roughly one woman for every 10 men on campus. Now, she said, women make up 60 percent of the student body, and serve in numerous leadership positions.
Former U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), current U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, acknowledged the University’s recent designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution and told Aceves, "So many will be affected by your work and your leadership … as a Latino.”
Aceves, previously the University’s chief financial officer, has been with Regis for nearly a decade. He was chosen as President following an eight-month national search.
Chair of the Regis Board of Trustees Derek Scarth, who led that search, said Aceves’ leadership skills, academic expertise and deep faith set him apart, and make him uniquely capable of leading the University into a successful future.
“Thank you for your commitment to Regis University,” Scarth told Aceves. “Thank you for your commitment to God. And thank you for inspiring me to want to serve like you do.”
Aceves thanked his family, and his wife of 38 years, Carol, for their support, and recognized the efforts of faculty and staff on Regis’ behalf. “Together, we are shaping a brighter future for our institution and the students we serve.”
Numerous dignitaries, including Rev. Kevin Burke, S.J., Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, offered good wishes to Regis’ new president.
