Neumann University has appointed Lawrence DiPaolo, Jr., Ph.D. as vice president for academic affairs. Dr. DiPaolo earned his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees at the University of Chicago, and a master of arts and his doctorate (theology) from Loyola University Chicago. He comes to Neumann from the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston, Texas, where he has been associate dean/tenured professor in the School of Theology. He is scheduled to join the Neumann family on August 24.

At UST, Dr. DiPaolo was responsible for all personnel/faculty and budgetary aspects of the Graduate School of Theology, and managed all aspects of strategic planning for the school while serving as a member of the University Planning Committee, which set all strategic goals and objectives for UST. In 2014 he became the chair of UST’s Quality Enhancement Program (QEP) in anticipation of an approaching accreditation visit. The program focused on improving writing instruction and assessing all programs at UST. As chair of the QEP he worked on high impact practices and retention at UST, working closely with Student Financial Aid and Student Services.

According to Neumann University President Dr. Rosalie Mirenda, “Dr. DiPaolo’ s strong academic and extensive, varied experiential background along with his deep understanding of the Catholic Franciscan identity of our University combine to make Dr. DiPaolo an excellent choice.” 

Throughout his years at UST, Dr. DiPaolo taught undergraduate courses such as Freshman Year Experience and Introduction to Sacred Scripture as well as graduate courses such as Pauline Literature, Theology in the Fiction of C.S. Lewis, and Christianity and the Qur’an. Recently, he spearheaded the development and implementation of a totally online learning option for the Master of Pastoral Studies degree to address an identified market in several states beyond Texas. 

Prior to his career in the academy, Dr. DiPaolo was a network analyst/market maker for a trading company. He was in the United States Navy Reserve for twelve years serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he supported Haiti relief operations during Operation Unified Response. Between the years of 2009-2014, Dr. DiPaolo served as operations officer/operational support officer for Navy Cargo Handling Battalion Thirteen and was solely responsible for all operational and training budgets as well as operational support plans for this three hundred member cargo battalion. He helped design and implement all training requirements in support of the troops.

Dr. DiPaolo is conversant with six languages (Spanish, Arabic, German, Greek, Hebrew and Italian), enjoys rugby and is an avid scout leader who enjoys camping trips.