John Cabot University Board of Trustees Extends President Pavoncello's Mandate
President Franco Pavoncello
At its recent meeting in New York City, the Board of Trustees of John Cabot University voted to extend President Franco Pavoncello’s mandate until June 2023.
Under Dr. Pavoncello’s tenure, the University has undergone extraordinary growth in academic programs, facilities, and student numbers. The securing of the Tiber Campus in 2008 allowed JCU to double its space and expand its academic offerings as well as student services. The Gianicolo Residence, inaugurated in 2011, provided the University with a modern apartment-style academic living community. In 2017, President Franco Pavoncello dedicated the Caroline Critelli Guarini Campus, the first University-owned property and a symbol of JCU’s permanence in the Trastevere neighborhood.
The University’s sixth President, Dr. Pavoncello first joined JCU in 1990 as a faculty member in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs. In 1996, he was named Dean of Academic Affairs, a position that he held until 2005. In 2005, he became Acting President of John Cabot University and was confirmed President in 2006, the first Italian citizen to lead an American university.
President Pavoncello holds a B.A. in International Relations and Chinese and Japanese Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. A leading analyst of Italian politics, Dr. Pavoncello’s work has appeared in, among others, the American Political Science Review, the British Journal of Political Science, Asian Studies, and World Affairs. He is also a well-known media commentator on Italian affairs, a contributor to major international newspapers, and appears regularly on radio and television networks, including CNN, BBC, New York Times, Reuters Press and TV, International Herald Tribune and many other media organizations.
“I would like to thank the Board of Trustees for renewing its trust in me and giving me the opportunity to continue to lead John Cabot University, as we strive to pursue American academic excellence in Rome,” says President Pavoncello. “I would also like to thank the Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Dr. Mary Merva, and our outstanding faculty and staff for their dedication to making JCU the best that it can be.”
