The Board of Trustees confirmed Allen, a senior vice president at DePaul University, as La Salle’s 30th President.
Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D
Philadelphia, PA—La Salle University has selected Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D., a senior vice president at DePaul University, as its 30th President following a vote by the University’s Board of Trustees. He will assume the presidency on April 18.
The selection of La Salle’s President-elect follows a nine-month nationwide search led by the University’s 21-member Presidential Search Committee, with professional support from executive search firm partner AGB Search.
Allen is the Senior Vice President of University Advancement and External Relations at DePaul University in Chicago, where he has held several senior-leadership roles since joining DePaul in August 2015. Currently, Allen leads and manages development, alumni relations, advancement communications, and community and government relations at DePaul, the largest Catholic university in the United States. There, he oversaw the most successful single fundraising year in the university’s history, raising $93.3 million in the 2021 fiscal year and simultaneously launching a 12-month, $60 million campaign aimed at support for student scholarships, emergency assistance, and mental health and career resources.
He also has deep roots in the Lasallian charism and mission, having previously served four years as vice president of advancement at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, which—like La Salle—is one of the six Lasallian colleges and universities in the U.S.
“Dr. Allen is an extraordinary leader whose talents and experience equip him well to guide La Salle University as our next President,” said William W. Matthews, III, Esq., ’90, Chair of La Salle University’s Board of Trustees. “He possesses a deep commitment to high-impact teaching and learning, in full alignment with our university’s mission. More importantly, he is positioned to shape La Salle’s promising future by addressing our current needs and supporting our students on their paths toward transformational personal and professional outcomes. I have every confidence, as does the Board of Trustees, that Dr. Allen will build upon our impressive foundation and elevate La Salle to significant new heights.”
“I am honored and humbled by the Board’s selection, and I am ready to lead La Salle University,” said Dr. Allen. “As I moved through this process, it became clear to me that La Salle students embark on their lives and careers with a real-world readiness. Their degree has a return on investment that is among the nation’s strongest, and that is a testament to an excellent and vibrant faculty. These have been hallmarks of this history-rich, mission-oriented university for nearly 160 years. I look forward to working with the La Salle community to chart the path forward for the next chapter of the university’s future.”