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 Dr. DePerro assumed the presidency June 1, 2017, and in less than four years oversaw the university welcoming the three largest incoming freshman classes in the previous 11 years.

He implemented new enrollment and marketing strategies and championed new academic program development. Under his watch, the university's online graduate iniative saw significant growth, up to 329% in enrollment since fall 2017.

He made great progress encouraging collaboration and communications with faculty, students and alumni.

He launched a comprehensive capital campaign to build "A Bolder Bonaventure," stewarding transformative gifts to help the univeristy's new School of Health Professions become a realtiy.

His vision to transform the university inspired him to form a number of campus-based presidential commissions to examine critical issues early in his presidency, including a group devoted solely to mission integration, reflecting his passionate commitment to create a transformational experience for students rooted in the univeristy's Franciscan tradition. The university hired a vice president for mission integration in 2019.

In 2020, he reconstituted the Presidential Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which quickly began to make inroads to improve DEI efforts across campus.

Prior to his appointment at St.Bonaventure, he served as vice president for enrollment management at Le Moyne College in Syracuse for 18 years before becoming the inaugural dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies in 2013. His experience developing health care programs at Le Moyne helped guide SBU's efforts to bolster it new School of Health Professions.

He also served as a professor of management in the Madden School of Business.

A Buffalo native and graduate of Bishop Timon High School, Dr. DePerro spent his entire 39-year career in college administration; for eight year (1982-1990) in admissions and alumni relatins at his alma mater Canisius College, and for five years ( 1990-1995) as dean of admissions and financial aid at Marietta College in Ohio before got to Le Moyne in 1995.

During his 18 years as vice president for enrollment, Le Moyne's undergraduate enrollment grew from 1,680 to 2,400, while graduate enrollment rose from 390 to 650 over the same period.

Dr. DePerro died Feb. 28, 2021 due to complications resulting from COVID-19. He was 62.

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