O’Hara taps new president
MARPLE » As the newly hired athletic director at Wheeling Jesuit University, Jay DeFruscio’s first recruit in 1985 was Cardinal O’Hara High School basketball player Mike Connor, who became the West Virginia university’s all-time leading scorer.
Thirty-two years later, Connor was one of the parents who greeted DeFruscio as part of the interview process to become O’Hara’s new president.
The Delaware County native will return home to the post effective July 1. He is the fourth person to hold the position, following the Rev. Joseph McFadden (1993-2001), Dr. William McCusker (2001-2014) and Tom Fertal, who is leaving at the end of the school year to complete his doctoral studies.
“When I walked in, Mike asked me ‘what are you doing here?’ and I responded ‘hopefully becoming your next president,’” said DeFruscio. “I’ve been gone since 1984 and since my mom, dad and six brothers and sisters are all in the area, this is an exciting time for my wife and me.”
The search process began in March with the formation of a committee comprised of alumni, parents, board members and others with strong ties to the school. The committee engaged Partners in Mission, a national firm, and organized focus groups of students, parents, alumni, administration and faculty to elicit a variety of viewpoints. Cardinal O’Hara’s board of directors also worked in close collaboration with administrators from the Office of Catholic Education and Faith in the Future.
A graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School, DeFruscio earned a B.A. in Economics/Business Administration from Ursinus College and a Master’s in Business Administration from Wheeling Jesuit. His years as the latter’s director of intercollegiate athletics were followed by a stint as an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers and most recently, associate commissioner for men’s basketball for the Atlantic 10 Athletic Conference.
The principal was originally the top administrator at O’Hara, a paradigm that shifted in the 1990s when the school adopted the president/principal model. As a result, principal Eileen Vice handles the day-to-day operation, including academics, athletics and staff development, while DeFruscio will be responsible for financial operation, facilities issues, fund raising, alumni relations and external affairs. He is also charged with enticing students, as open enrollment allows potential freshmen to attend any private or parochial high school in the area.
“I have spent much of my life involved in Catholic education,” he said. “My strengths are in fund raising and being the voice of Catholic education.”
DeFruscio brings an educational and business perspective to the post. At Wheeling Jesuit, he attracted students from numerous states and countries to attend a small university in a remote location, while he specialized in communications and represented the interests of basketball programs outside the league during his years with the A10.
Unlike in his day, when the route was a direct one from St. Bernadette’s School to Bonner, DeFruscio will be responsible for encouraging students to veer off the path. O’Hara employs a variety of techniques to encourage eighth graders to register at 1701 South Sproul Road as opposed to a different Archdiocese of Philadelphia high school, independent Catholic prep school or public high school.
“My hope is they will see the value of a vibrant Catholic education in the midst of the Cardinal O’Hara community,” he said. “The Catholic identity and value system we provide differentiates us from other schools.”
As one whose career has concentrated on athletics, DeFruscio knows “there is no ‘I’ in team” and anticipates working with students, staff, parents and stakeholders who hold similar views. At the same time, he realizes it is the approximately 1,300 teenagers in the building who are the true focus of his attention.
“It is all about the team at Cardinal O’Hara,” he said. “I am a student-centered person and everything we do will be in their best interests.”