Tim O’ Shaughnessy, ’85, was quite familiar with La Salle University prior to joining its Executive Cabinet in January 2021 and, in May, being appointed its Interim President.

O’Shaughnessy graduated from La Salle’s School of Business with a bachelor of science in accounting. He brought to his current role more than 30 years of executive leadership experience across the private and non-profit sectors, along with a passion for the Lasallian mission and Catholic education in Philadelphia. That experience and passion will serve him well as he answers the call to lead La Salle at a very important time in University history.

Recently, he joined La Salle’s 20th & Olney podcast to share more about his story and his vision for La Salle:

Tell us a little bit about your background.
O’Shaughnessy: “I was born in Germany. My dad was in the U.S. Army, and my mom went over to live with him for the last two years of his tour. I’m the oldest of seven children. I grew up in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Philadelphia. I went to grade school at St. Ann’s in Port Richmond, and I’m a 1981 graduate of North Catholic High School. I grew up in a great family. My brothers and sisters hit the lottery with the parents that God chose for us. We’re all still very close and all still live in the area. As a kid, I was a stickball-, two-hand-touch-playing neighborhood Philly kid. I loved and still love all the Philadelphia sports teams. I loved Big 5 (basketball), and I had a special affinity for La Salle as a child because my dad was also an alum.”

Did your father draw you to La Salle as a student, as well?
O’Shaughnessy: “Yes. My dad, like so many La Salle graduates, was a first-generation college graduate. He started and stopped his career at La Salle. After he finished his time in the Army, he came back as a night school student on the G.I. Bill. He always spoke fondly of his time here. I knew I wanted a career in business, and I was aware of the strong reputation of La Salle’s School of Business. I also wanted to stay local and preferred a Catholic college. La Salle was the right fit for me.”

Plenty has changed at La Salle since your days as a student, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the return on investment of a La Salle degree. Can you talk about the value of a La Salle degree today, especially in a competitive job market?
O’Shaughnessy: “Students have so many choices. (Where to go to college) is not an easy decision for students and their families. We know the return on investment of a La Salle degree ranks among the best in the nation. Forbes, Money magazine, and U.S. News and World Report have all ranked us as a high value university, not only in our region but nationally. Recent studies at Georgetown University have confirmed the same. La Salle has been supporting a higher percentage of first-generation and Pell eligible students than the national average. We make a difference in the lives of students who in many cases are the first in their families to pursue higher education. We’ve been providing that high-impact, high-quality education to students for generations. The experience and outcomes that our students realize is terrific. I urge prospective students to look closely at the cost and value benefit that a La Salle education can provide. It’s an experience that’s rooted in our Lasallian mission. It’s one that leads to life-changing outcomes professionally, personally, academically, and civically. That’s the La Salle I remember from when I was a student. And it’s the La Salle I experience today as Interim President.”

You’ve served in leadership roles throughout your career. Do you have a certain philosophy on instilling stability and leadership?
O’Shaughnessy: “I’ve been fortunate over the course of my career to work with and for a lot of great leaders that I admire, and I’ve tried to do my best to learn from all of them. I try to stay calm. I try to stay level, even when there might be a lot of chaos going on around me. I try to listen more than I talk. I try to speak plainly about issues that we might be facing and what we’re trying to do about them. I try to be thoughtful and not impulsive. I try to not be ruled by emotions. I’m not afraid to make hard decisions either. I know that particularly with a lot of things that are going on in the world right now, not everyone is always going to agree when decisions get made, so I’m sensitive to that and I try to be as transparent as I can be about what influences the decisions that I make, and I try my best to explain the reasons and rationale behind them.”

As Interim President, you’re acting as a steward and a steady hand for the University during a time of transition. Can you tell us a bit about what your day-to-day has been like in that role?
O’Shaughnessy: “I’ve been spending a lot of time trying to meet with small groups. In addition to the more strategic, bigger tactical things I’m working on with the Board of Governors, I thought it was important to just get out and meet people. I know La Salle’s been through a lot of change recently. I’m an interim President, we’ve got an interim Dean in the business school, our Provost is interim right now. With all of that change, I’m concerned that maybe things feel a bit too unsettled for folks. So, I’m doing my best to try and go out and meet people. I think it’s important that people get to know me. It’s important that I communicate directly.”

Listen to the 20th & Olney podcast for the full conversation with La Salle University Interim President Tim O’Shaughnessy, ’85.

—Patrick Berkery