Biography | Stephen A. Privett, S.J.

Rev. Stephen Privett, S.J., began his tenure as the 27th president of the University of San Francisco on September 15, 2000.

Father Privett was born in San Francisco. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1960 and is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and Gonzaga University. His doctorate is in Catechetics and his particular expertise focuses on the Hispanic community in the Catholic Church.

Prior to his appointment at USF, Father Privett served as provost and academic vice president at Santa Clara University. As provost, he was responsible for oversight of student life, intercollegiate athletics, as well as academic affairs. While teaching at Santa Clara, he was recognized for “Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership” with the Sears Roebuck Foundation Award.

Early in his career, Father Privett was an instructor at Jesuit High School in Sacramento and Principal of Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose.

He currently serves as a trustee at the Schools of the Sacred Heart and Seattle University. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the California Campus Compact, Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club of California, Board of Directors of the American Council on Education, Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Public Architecture, and the Fromm Institute. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, Bishops and Presidents Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Advisory Board of the California Foundation as well as an honorary member of the San Francisco Host Committee.

Throughout his career, Father Privett has demonstrated a commitment to “wholeperson education,” a traditional hallmark of Jesuit education. At Santa Clara, he helped establish the Eastside Project, a program that has received national recognition as a model program for community-based learning.