Stephen Sundborg

Stephen Vincent Sundborg, S.J. (born August 3, 1943) is an American Jesuit and theologian. He served as the 21st President of Seattle University from July 1997 to July 2021, Interim President from April 2026 to September 2026, and is currently serving as Chancellor as of July 2024.

Life and career Sundborg was raised in the Territory of Alaska. In 1982, he obtained a doctorate in spirituality from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Penalver is the first non-Jesuit President of the university.

Planned Parenthood controversy In October 2019, Seattle University removed references to Planned Parenthood as a student resource from its website, after anti-abortion group Students for Life of America sent a letter to Sundborg and other university leaders in August 2019 arguing that Planned Parenthood had "no place on a Christian campus" as an "abortion corporation". An excerpt from Sundberg's email response to the request to remove references to Planned Parenthood:

Sundborg also "refused an in-person interview when approached by Spectator reporters on Oct. 3 and refused a phone interview with The Spectator on Oct. 4 or over the weekend". Sundborg issued a statement responding to the controversy, reading in part:

On October 9, 2019, Sundborg sent an email message to the Seattle University Community with additional statements about his decision, which read in part: