William J. Byron, S.J. Ph.D., is research professor at the Sellinger School of Business, Loyola College in Maryland. He is past president of The Catholic University of America and the University of Scranton, and served as interim president of Loyola University in New Orleans in the academic year 2003-2004.

Earlier assignments include service as pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC and professor of the practice of ethics in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, where he also held the position of rector of the Georgetown Jesuit Community.

A native of Pittsburgh, Father Byron grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School. After service in the army's 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1945-46, he attended Saint Joseph''s University in Philadelphia for three years before entering the Jesuit order in 1950. He was ordained a priest in 1961.

He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland, two theology degrees from Woodstock College, a bachelor's degree, licentiate in philosophy and a master's degree in economics from Saint Louis University.

He was the 1999 recipient of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities' Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for his contributions over the years to the advancement of Catholic higher education. In that same year, he received the Council of Independent Colleges' Academic Leadership Award. He holds 30 honorary degrees.

Author of 10 books and editor of two, Father Byron writes the bi-weekly syndicated column "Looking Around" for Catholic News Service and a monthly "What Would You Like to Know?" feature for Catholic Digest. His 1989 book, Quadrangle Considerations, won the Catholic Press Association's best book award in the education category. That same association gave its first place award in the Best Essay category to his "Structural Adjustments for a Church Working Its Way through Crisis," in the Winter 2004 issue of Church magazine.