On June 1st, 2015, Dr. Christopher Puto assumed the office as Spring Hill’s 37th president.
Dr. Puto is breaking ground as the college's first lay president. However, students need not to worry because our new president happens to be a former badger himself and has promised to keep the Jesuit traditions at the Hill. One of his main priorities is to encourage students to see more and more of what the Jesuit mission is and has always been about. He also wants more interaction between the students and the Jesuits that walk the grounds of the college. Dr. Puto graduated from Spring Hill in 1964 with a degree in economics, but his education endevours did not stop there. He proceeded to attend the University of Miami to earn his MBA in Marketing and a Ph.D. in business administration. From 2003-2012, he was a member of the Board of Trustees for Spring Hill, along with working for Bank of America, Eastman Kodak Company, General Electric Company, and even the Burger King Corporation. In fact, he was one involved development of the “Have It Your Way” advertising campaign for Burger King.
Dr. Puto’s inauguration was Thursday, September 17, 2015. I was lucky to witness such an elaborate and magnificent event. From seeing all of the staff and special guests in their academic robes to seeing Dr. Puto’s smiling face on the big screens while he listened to the speakers' stories, the event was surely a momentous occasion. . The inauguration allowed the college's population to witness the beautiful history behind not only Spring Hill College, but also of the Jesuit’s longstanding traditions. It filled my heart with joy to see Reverend Michael Sheeran and Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi to recognize Dr. Puto with the position of being the 37th president of Spring Hill College. During the presentation of the special mission and the investiture, Dr. Puto was handed the presidential medallion, holding great meaning to Spring Hill College.
During the inaugural address, Dr. Puto thanked everyone for allowing him to be the president of Spring Hill. He talked positively about the changes that he is planning to make for the college such as making it more affordable for people to pay for tuition and also expanding and creating new programs so that students of all interests can come to the Hill. Dr. Puto spoke about a new health program and a new software coding program that will be available at the Hill in the near future. Having the opportunity to be a part of Dr. Puto’s first class at Spring Hill is an exciting, and I hope that all of the other students on campus will try to get to know the wonderful person that will be leading our college to success. Welcome back to the Hill, Dr. Puto, and as they say, once a Badger always a Badger!
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