In a message emailed to students, staff and faculty, the 22nd President of Seattle University, Eduardo Peñalver, announced that he would be leaving the institution March 31, 2026, for a new role as President of Georgetown beginning July 1, 2026.

“It has been a tremendous privilege to be a part of this community for these five years, serving a university whose values have never been more essential,” Peñalver wrote in an email to The Spectator. “I have always considered Seattle and the Pacific Northwest to be ‘home.’ And I will always think of it that way.”

Peñalver began his tenure as president in 2021. As the first Latino and layperson, or non-Jesuit, to lead the university, Peñalver oversaw many changes at Seattle U during his time. 

“As a Latino student, I was very happy to go to [a] school with a Latino president,” Diego Gonzalez, president of the Student Government of Seattle University (SGSU), said. “I remember my mom was very happy. She met President Peñalver once, and she was saying how proud she was that we had a Latino president as the president of Seattle University.

During his tenure, Peñalver notably oversaw the procurement of a $300 million art donation from Dick Hedreen in honor of his late wife, Seattle U alumna Betty Hedreen, with $25 million allocated for the creation of Seattle U’s own Art Museum.

Peñalver also helped administer Seattle U’s return to the West Coast Conference (WCC) this academic year. Seattle U was originally a part of the conference from 1971 to 1980. When the university returned to its Division I status in 2013, the goal was to rejoin the WCC eventually. 

One of his largest accomplishments, though, was the acquisition of Cornish College of the Arts. Bringing the two institutions together provides Seattle U students access to Cornish’s impressive arts facilities and Cornish students access to a greater wealth of resources, such as University Recreation and Career Engagement. 

Another significant tenet of Peñalver’s presidency has been the “Reigniting our Strategic Directions 2022-2027” plan. The plan sets forth five goals that the university has been steadily working to achieve in the past three years. 

When Peñalver’s contract with the university was extended through June 30, 2029, in June 2024, his work on strategic directions was cited as one of the major accomplishments of his presidency at the time. As part of his contract, Peñalver received $781,288 in compensation during the 2024 fiscal year, with another $92,822 from the university for health insurance and retirement contributions. Comparably, the president of Georgetown received $1,613,979 in compensation during the 2023 fiscal year, with another $329,088 from the university and related organizations for benefits.

The Board of Trustees hopes to find a replacement for Peñalver to start in Fall 2026. In between Peñalver’s departure and the beginning of the next presidency, Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J., current chancellor and former president of Seattle U, will serve as interim president, pending board approval. Chair of the Board of Trustees, Patrick Callans, wrote in an email to The Spectator that this will be an important time for the university to keep focus.

“I believe it’s important during this time of transition for Seattle University to continue moving forward on key strategic initiatives. Having Eduardo at SU until the end of March and Fr. Steve in the interim role beginning in April will provide continuity and steady leadership for that purpose,” Callans wrote. “And as a Board, we will proceed in a timely and thoughtful manner with the highly important work of the selection of a new president to lead Seattle University.”

As the search begins, Gonzalez hopes that both SGSU and student feedback will be involved in the process.

“The university president plays an extremely important role in terms of how the university is perceived and the way it operates and how welcomed students are in the overall student experience,” Gonzalez said. “We definitely want to represent students in that, because I think that needs to have student involvement.”

The incoming President of Seattle U will be tasked with finishing many of the initiatives Peñalver started. The controversial construction of the art museum, scheduled to break ground in August 2026, is set to replace the current Lee Center for the Arts. Seattle U still operates on the quarter system, but by the 2027-28 academic year, both Seattle U and Cornish will operate on the semester system, unifying the academic calendar.  

When asked about the completion of the many initiatives started during his presidency, Peñalver wrote that he hopes to continue working hard on them until the end of his tenure.

“After that, the ‘how’ is really up to the next president, but I hope those initiatives prove to be enduring contributions to Seattle University’s excellence,” Peñalver said.

Overall, Peñalver wants his presidency to be remembered by his accomplishments for the university.

“I hope my time here will be remembered for elevating the visibility and profile of Seattle University, both in Seattle and among the Jesuit universities nationally,” Peñalver wrote.

A correction was made on Oct. 16, 2025: This article was updated to correct two errors. Patrick Callans title (he is the chair of the board of trustees, not executive vice president) and to clarify that Peñalvers’ $92,822 in additional earnings represents health insurance and other benefits.

Corrections are made during production when errors are identified in time, so not all corrections may appear in every edition.