William J. Byron

William James Byron, S.J. (May 25, 1927 – April 9, 2024) was an American priest of the Society of Jesus. Byron served as the president of the University of Scranton from 1975 to 1982 and the president of Catholic University of America from 1982 to 1992. At the time of his death, he was a professor of Business and Society at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

Early life and education William James Byron was born on May 25, 1927, in Pittsburgh, and raised in Philadelphia. He attended St. Joseph's Preparatory School, graduating in 1945. Upon his graduation, Byron served in the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the United States Army in the Second World War from 1945 to 1946.

Before entering the Society of Jesus in 1950, he had been a student at St. Joseph’s University for three years. He was ordained in 1961.

Byron received a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland. He also held two theology degrees from Woodstock College, a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a master's degree in economics from Saint Louis University. Over the course of his career, Father Bryon received more than twenty-five honorary degrees,

Career Early career Father Byron served as a mathematics professor at Scranton Preparatory School from 1956 to 1958. In 1962 he was named assistant editor of America and from 1965 to 1966 he held a teaching fellowship and a U.S. Department of Labor Manpower Research Fellowship at the University of Maryland. Under Byron’s leadership, the University of Scranton underwent significant changes, including gains in enrollment, increasing academic standing of the university, improvements, construction, and expansion on the campus, the addition of a number of academic majors and programs.

During Father Byron's tenure as president, total enrollment grew from 3,954 in the 1974–1975 academic year to 4,196 by the time of his departure in 1980–1981. Additionally, there were renovations to many of the residence halls. The development program also included plans to establish the School of Management and to extend the Office of Continuing Education to meet the needs of those in the greater community who wanted to continue their post-secondary education by offering a range of associate degrees and opportunities for local employers and employees to train at the corporate site or at the university. The Board of Trustees picked Father Joseph Allen Panuska, S.J., to succeed him. As Judge Conaboy wrote in a letter after he heard of Byron's announcement to resign as President of the University of Scranton, Byron's accomplishments and improvements at the school combine with the establishment of the Scranton Journal, setting new records in medical school acceptances and Fulbright Scholarships, winning a national basketball championship in men's competition, and producing national title contenders in soccer and women's basketball, “to make a review of Byron's tenure at the University of Scranton an enormous success and a great contribution to this entire community.” Through Father Byron's tremendous effort, the improvement project was actualized in 1980. The Commons project proposed by Father Byron was intended to create a more attractive, park-like atmosphere on the campus and to eliminate the safety hazards associated with pedestrian and vehicle traffic. With that new space, the university hoped to create a twenty-foot-wide (6 m) brick walkway, trees, benches, a water fountain, and patio area in addition to developing the area with landscaping. Others, however, supported the university's Commons plan, including notable organizations and individuals such as the Scranton Times, the Scranton Fire Chief Robert Ruddy, Scranton City Councilman James Doherty, the board of directors of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, the Lackawanna County Regional Planning Commission, and ABC local television affiliate WNEP TV-16. In order to accommodate the concerns of some members of the Scranton community, the university replaced the 84 legal parking spaces closed on Linden Street with over 100 legal parking spaces. Construction on the project was begun on June 2, 1980, as parts of Linden Street were removed. The project was completed around November 1980 and dedication ceremonies were held in December 1980.

The School of Management Before the inception of the School of Management, business and economic programs had been offered in the other three colleges at the university, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Hanley College, and the Graduate School. However, under Byron’s leadership, the School of Management became a separate academic school in 1978. By establishing the School of Management, the university offered a consolidated business program, benefiting both the students and Northeastern Pennsylvania by providing students with the tools and education needed to cultivate administrative talent needed in local businesses, government, non-profit organizations, hospitals, and schools. The School also sponsored a number of seminars and workshops to discuss and resolve economic problems and difficulties in the local business community, such as through the Executive-in-Residence program, where a businessman would come to the university to discuss their business practices.

The School of Management was later renamed the Arthur J. Kania School of Management, or KSOM, in order to recognize the achievements of Mr. Kania as a leader in the business world and a dedicated alumnus of the university.

Other achievements and notable events On August 27, 1986, the University of Scranton dedicated their new William J. Byron Recreational Complex, which was built to serve the students, particularly the intramural program. Rev. J. A. Panuska, S.J., president of the University of Scranton from 1982 until 1998, stated that naming this facility for Fr. Byron "provides us with a marvelous opportunity to thank him for his leadership at the University and in the region."

Father Byron served as a trustee of Loyola College in Maryland and the University of San Francisco and was a founding director and chairman of Bread for the World, Father Byron served on a number of additional committees throughout his career, including as director of Georgetown University, the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the United Way of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Blue Shield, the Northeastern Bank of Pennsylvania, and Scranton's Community Medical Center.

Father Byron wrote a syndicated bi-weekly column, called "Looking Around," for Catholic News Service. Additionally, he wrote many books over his career.

Byron was also a guest on HBO's Da Ali G Show.

Books 1975 – Toward stewardship: An interim ethic of poverty, power, and pollution (Topics in moral argument) - 1982 – The Causes of World Hunger - 1989 – Quadrangle Considerations - 1992 – Take Your Diploma and Run!: Speaking to the Next Generation - 1995 – Take Courage: Psalms of Support and Encouragement - 1995 – Finding Work Without Losing Heart: Bouncing Back from Mid-Career Job Loss - 1998 – Answers from Within: Spiritual Guidelines for Managing Setbacks in Work and Life - 2000 – Jesuit Saturdays: Sharing the Ignatian Spirit With Lay Colleagues and Friends - 2003 – The 365 Days of Christmas: Keeping the Wonder of It All Ever Green - 2005 – A Book of Quiet Prayer: For All the Seasons, Stages, Moods, and Circumstances of Life - 2006 – Power of Principles: Ethics for the New Corporate Culture -