A Historic First, A Shared Mission at Denver’s Regis University: Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead Inaugurated as President
As the Denver Jesuit university approaches its 150th anniversary, its 29th president — the first Black woman president to lead a U.S. Jesuit university — is looking to the future with a leadership philosophy rooted in prayer, listening and service.
A powerful sense of gratitude and hope was in the air on Regis University’s Denver campus on Friday, as the Jesuit, Catholic university’s first Black female president officially began her tenure.
“Standing before you is profoundly humble, not because of the title I've been entrusted to hold, but because moments like this remind us of a truth that I've come to understand more deeply with every passing year. None of us arrives anywhere alone,” Dr. Shawna Cooper Whitehead said during her inauguration as Regis’ 29th president.
As the university approaches its 150th anniversary and welcomes a new president, the historic significance of the moment, both for Regis and for herself, was not lost on Dr. Cooper Whitehead.
“When I look back over my own life, I can see moments that made little sense when I was living them,” she noted. “But with time and distance, I can see God's fingerprints. … That is why today begins not with accomplishment, but with gratitude.”
Throughout her remarks at the inauguration and the Missioning Mass and dinner on the evening prior, Dr. Cooper Whitehead couldn’t help but express gratitude for that accompaniment over the years.
“I stand here today as the 29th president of Regis University and as the first Black woman entrusted with this office. I understand what that means. I honor it. I am humbled by it,” she continued. “But I also know that the significance of this moment will not ultimately be determined by who occupies this office. It will be determined by what we do together.”
A Community Mission
At the beginning of Dr. Cooper Whitehead’s leadership at Regis University, Denver Archbishop James Golka noted the important mission that the university and the entire Church share.
“I have long appreciated the distinctive contribution Jesuit education makes to both the church and society,” he wrote in a letter read at the inauguration ceremony. “At its best, Jesuit education forms not only capable minds but generous hearts. It teaches us that knowledge is never an end, but rather a gift to be placed at the service of truth, justice and the common good.”
That mission comes at a pivotal time for higher education and for the Church. In this apostolic age, in which society does not share the Church’s guiding vision, the mission of Catholic education matters deeply.
“In a world often tempted towards self-promotion and individualism, that motto [‘men and women for others’] remains both prophetic and urgently needed,” the archbishop continued. “It reminds us that authentic education ultimately prepares us not simply for successful careers, but for lives of generous service. It calls each graduate to ask not merely what can I achieve, but rather whom can I serve.”
Even amid the challenges, the moment presents an important invitation to the Regis University community, Father Michael Sheeran, SJ, the former president of Regis, emphasized.
“Tonight we welcome Dr. Cooper Whitehead, and we pledge to do our part to support her, and to support the Archbishop in building up the educated laity and the Church in Colorado,” he said in remarks delivered at a private dinner the evening before the inauguration.
A Listening Leadership
That lofty work, Dr. Cooper Whitehead emphasized, begins with mission, continues with listening and dialogue and is fulfilled in generous service.
“I don't come here to build something from scratch,” she noted in remarks delivered at a private dinner the evening before the inauguration. “I come to receive what has been entrusted to me.”
At the core of this reception, emphasized Father Andrew Kirchman, SJ, provincial of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province, is a commitment to discernment with the Holy Spirit.
“You are sent to listen more deeply to the Holy Spirit and to one another, so that our structures and ministries may be more agile, more transparent and more responsive to the Gospel in this synodal way,” he explained. “I invite you to discern. … And I invite you to conversion.”
Thanking God for all that has been and looking forward in hope to all that he will bring about, Dr. Cooper Whitehead encouraged the university to discern with her how Regis can continue to serve students and the community better in the years to come.
“We are in a particular time in which we need thoughtful leaders who show compassion, intellectual courage and a commitment to the common good. Our Jesuit Catholic higher education has a critical role to play in this space,” she explained. “Regis is necessary. It's needed because the world is simple. It's also complicated. Our students need an education that gives them the courage to engage both the simplicity and the complexity, the humility to listen, the wisdom to discern and the conviction to serve.”
Noting the role Regis graduates play in the larger Denver community — and that she has yet to walk into a healthcare institution without meeting a Regis graduate serving there! — Dr. Cooper Whitehead said plainly, “The work ahead belongs to all of us, and I invite you to rise with us.”
As they discern together — president, faculty, staff, students, alumni and community — Dr. Cooper Whitehead recalled St. Ignatius of Loyola, noting that discernment requires movement.
“Honoring [our] history does not mean preserving Regis exactly as it has been,” she said. “If Ignatius teaches us anything, it is that discernment requires movement. The soldier became a seeker. The seeker became a pilgrim. And the pilgrim kept moving. Regis must keep moving too. … So, as we turn from gratitude toward the future, what will our ‘yes’ be? Our yes must begin with mission.”
For those off campus, she looks forward to building partnerships in mission for the benefit of the entire community.
“I want us to think about ways in which we could work together,” she told the Denver Catholic. “We have a shared mission. So, what does that look like in action? What's happening in our parishes? What's happening in our Catholic community that we can work together, where we can be a true partner? That's what I'm looking forward to as this new presidency and this new chapter begin.”
Leadership Rooted in Prayer
Now, this work of discernment and mission is not hers alone, Dr. Cooper Whitehead emphasized. It belongs to the entire community, and even more so, to God.
“Everything, for me, begins with God,” she said plainly.
That truth was never more evident than in her interview with the search committee months ago, when she prayed with the members and assured them — as only someone rooted in faith could — that they would choose the right candidate.
“Allowing God to guide the search process brought us to Dr. Cooper Whitehead,” said Jacquie Box, the vice-chair of the presidential search committee. “The decision to select Shawna was unanimous by the search committee.”
Now, having come to know Dr. Cooper Whitehead well in the three months since she began her work at Regis, after moving her own start date up to “get to work,” Box is confident that Dr. Cooper Whitehead’s prayerful spirit will serve the mission well.
“Shawna articulates this commitment to the mission every day,” she continued. “She will pursue it with tenacity and compassion. She will outpace all of us as she endeavors to take Regis to a place of greater societal impact and deeper personal connection. Thank you, Shawna, for stepping up at the right moment for this community.”
As she begins her mission at Regis, Dr. Cooper Whitehead can’t help but feel the Holy Spirit with her, animating, inspiring and leading the way into the university’s next 150 years.
“I truly feel the Holy Spirit in me. I didn't worry about today because I felt everyone's prayers. This is a blessing of an opportunity, and I'm not alone,” she explained. “I never felt alone, and I feel like this is divine. I'm right where I need to be.”
Hope for the Future
On the cusp of Regis’ next 150 years, there was a palpable sense of hope on campus as Dr. Cooper Whitehead assumed her new role.
“Today, with great joy, as we welcome you into this ministry of leadership, we pray for the grace to be faithful in the mission we share,” Father Kirschmann said, calling on the Holy Spirit and the intercession of Mary, Seat of Wisdom, and St. Ignatius and his companions. “May God grant that Regis University continue to educate women and men who are intellectually rigorous, conscientious in their care for others, compassionate in responding to challenges and committed to justice.”
“Shawna, may you lead this university with wisdom anchored in truth, with humility rooted in faith and with a steadfast commitment to the dignity of every person created in the image and likeness of God,” Archbishop Golka wrote, assuring her and the university of his prayers and friendship. “May Almighty God bless you, bless the entire Regis community and through the intercessions of St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. John Francis Regis, continue to guide this university in forming generations of men and women truly in service of others.”
For students, too, the milestone was an exciting, hope-filled one that will open a new chapter in the university’s history.
“I know she’ll be a really good fit at Regis, and I’m really excited to see how she makes Regis her home and how we embrace her into our little home,” said Rylie Fairbank, a senior at the university.
“I think that Dr. Cooper Whitehead has an amazing passion for students and this community,” added Latavia Marfo, junior. “I think that her amazing energy has the ability to continue to bring vibrancy to campus. Students will continue to find their place of belonging, and this campus will continue to grow to the amazing potential it has.”
Now with the pomp and circumstance of her inauguration behind her, Dr. Cooper Whitehead turned to the work ahead: serving Regis, its students and the Denver community.
“I'm humbled, you know, by this moment and grateful for this community, but we are not done,” she said.
