Commencement Speaker
Dr. James P. Loftus
Dr. James P. Loftus became president of Cardinal Stritch University in July 2011. He came to Stritch from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, where he served as vice president of enrollment management and student services. Dr. Loftus is a lifelong supporter of Catholic education who is deeply impressed by the quality of the Stritch faculty and staff, the enthusiasm of its students and the commitment of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi to the University’s core values.
Dr. Loftus has significant experience with the university environment, focusing specifically on student recruitment, campus organization and institutional development. He offers more than 20 years of higher education experience in leadership, strategic planning, marketing, admissions, orientation, financial aid, academic program development, non-traditional and accelerated programs. Dr. Loftus had been with St. Ambrose since June 1990, serving in roles with continuing education, professional development, the pastoral studies program and the Adult College Curriculum for Education and Leadership (ACCEL) program. He oversaw the areas of admissions, financial aid, retention, student services, security, communications and marketing and records and registration.
From his post at St. Ambrose University, he developed and executed comprehensive recruitment and financial aid strategies to meet the university's enrollment goals. In his years as vice president at St. Ambrose, full-time enrollment grew by more than 44 percent with total college enrollment exceeding 3,500 students.
Dr. Loftus consults for Noel-Levitz, a firm that works with institutions on areas related to student marketing and recruitment at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He works as a consultant-evaluator with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges in Chicago. He has worked as a Catholic high school teacher in suburban Chicago, studied in the seminary and worked in a volunteer corps, Holy Cross Associates.
Dr. Loftus holds a doctorate in planning, policy and leadership studies from the College of Education at the University of Iowa; an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the advisory council for the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Knights of Columbus. He is a past member of the executive board of the National Catholic College Admission Association.
Dr. Loftus and his wife, Irene, an attorney and the former chancellor of the Diocese of Davenport, are the parents of four daughters – Bridget, 22; Kathleen, 21; Molly, 18; and Claire, 15. Dr. Loftus once rode his bike across the country and has run two marathons. He enjoys golf, mystery novels, time with his family, and traveling.