It is not so often at this historic school that a new president is welcomed into these halls. This was the case however when Prep welcomed Father Kenneth Boller S.J. as the 27th president in its history. Father Boller grew up attending Archbishop Molloy in Queens, New York. Prep’s newest administrator is certainly qualified when looking up and down his resume. Father entered the Jesuit society in 1964 and has given about five decades of his life to Jesuit education. For a short period of time, he taught at Xavier High School in Manhattan as a mathematics teacher. He then went on to serve as the head principal at Canisius Prep in Buffalo, New York. Interestingly enough, one of the standout students there was Father Reiser, our most recent president. Then Father went on to return to Xavier as both a headmaster and a president. Next, he served as a pastor at Saint Aloysius church in Harlem for about seven years before being called on by Fordham Prep to become their president in 2004.
Growing up Father Boller was part of a family that was normally engaged in their religious life. After attending a Catholic grammar and high school the life of priest started to become interesting to him around 16 years old. His Catholic school experience was not the only influence on his religious decision to become a Jesuit priest. Another inspiration came from the fact his father had attended Fordham Prep in the Bronx. Father Boller said that his really influenced him to not only make an inquiry as a priest, but also as a Jesuit priest, which he found so interesting. Even though he has never actually attended Jesuit school himself, Father said that the influence on his life has been so large. Jesuit education was exposed to Father as an administrator and teacher, and he feels that these experiences have given him a unique insight on the Jesuit ways. He feels that after going through so much of the Jesuit experience that he looks at people and problematic situations differently, able to understand what is really going on.
We asked Father what it is like essentially being a “Freshman” at Prep and he conjured up what is probably the most common response heard by people new to Grand and Warren, “The campus is very confusing sometimes”. In addition to the different campus Father commented on how his day’s rhythm has changed a bit, but the new atmosphere has given him increased excitement. Father Boller said that when looking at the school he feels as if he already understands it very well because he served on the Prep board over twenty years ago and regularly meets Father Reiser for lunch. He stated that Father Reiser would not stop raving about the amazing experiences he had at Prep, and it really made an impression on him. Bringing something new, Father says that he wants to have us question what we are doing in our daily routines. He does not want us falling into patterns that could lead to problematic situations and feels it would be beneficial to the school for each person to ask themselves the simple question of why they are doing something they do everyday before they do it.
As president it is Father Boller’s duty to look at the big picture of the school. He explains that it is his job to make Mr. Deangelo’s job, which focuses on the day-to-day actions for Prep, as easy as it can possibly be. This big picture idea will come into play when Father will begin to work on the new plan of action that will be followed for the next six to seven years to help improve Prep even further. In addition to the big picture look, Father Boller will work with the Board of Trustees to ensure that he is a positive face of the school that maintains the Jesuit identity that Prep is so proud of. Father Boller does not find his job burdensome at all, but he says that hardest part about the job is learning all the new names and describes the last six weeks as a “blur of faces”. He feels that it takes multiple encounters with a person before you can truly get to know them.
Father Boller said that he has always been very busy with his positions at each school, so he never really had time to follow professional sports. As a default he states, he would always support the sports programs at the school at which he was a teacher or an administrator. Hopefully he will become a part of Prep’s famous Marauder Nation! In addition to sports Father Boller has been quite the fine diner around Saint Peter’s. So far he has eaten at and enjoyed: Light Horse Tavern, Trattoria Abbondanza, and Amelia’s. Some fine places to get lunch and diner our new president said. Hopefully, Father Boller has a smooth transition into his role as president of this incredible school. Everyone here at Grand and Warren has your back here, Father Boller, and hopes that you can continue to lead this school as it strives for excellence.