President Keefe Named to List of Most Influential Educators of Irish Heritage
Date Published: March 17, 2017
Steady enrollment growth, record-breaking freshman classes in three of the last five
years and the largest university gift in the past half century — $12 million for the
construction of its state-of-the-art SB International Hall — are just a few reasons
University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe was named to the 2016 Irish Education
100, an annual list of the nation’s 100 most influential educators of Irish heritage.
This year's honorees were recognized during a special invitation only event held at
the Irish Consulate in New York City on Dec. 7, 2016.
The Irish Education 100 gives tribute to the enduring Irish success in education,
especially at the university level, and its honorees are some of America’s most distinguished
and accomplished leaders. The list was first compiled in 2009 by the Irish Voice newspaper
in an effort to quantify the Irish commitment to excellence in education in the United
States.
“It seems natural that we should pay tribute to the Irish who have made such an indelible
mark at colleges and universities throughout the U.S.,” said Debbie McGoldrick, senior
editor of the Irish Voice. “Our diverse compilation includes presidents and professors,
trustees and administrators and everyone in between, all whom share a bond — a deep
pride in their shared heritage.”
President Keefe is a member of the Knights of Columbus and was a member of the Ancient
Order of Hibernians. He can trace his Irish ancestry back to Ireland’s Cork, Derry
and Down counties.