Dennis Dease is a Roman Catholic priest, who served as the 14th president of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota from his election in 1991 to 2013.
[1] He was associate pastor at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Hopkins, Minnesota, taught theology at the University of St. Thomas[2] and served as spiritual director and dean of formation at The Saint Paul Seminary.
Father Dease, who is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, was one of 54 applicants for the University of St. Thomas presidency.
[4] Father Dease has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Minnesota Private College Council, Research Foundation and Fund, and The Catholic Digest, all three of which he has chaired.
He also has been a board member of the National Catholic Education Association, has served on the Priestly Life and Ministry, Domestic Policy and Education Committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and serves as a consultant to the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace.
Father Dease served as a founding member of the board of directors of Southern Catholic College in Georgia from 2001 until its closing in 2010 due to lack of funding.