Dec 21, 2021
Though he served less than four years as president of St. 山ǿ, the late Dr. Dennis R. DePerro left a lasting imprint on the school and its future.
In honor of his passion and dedication, some distinguished alumni have pooled their resources to name the School of Health Professions in his memory.
The Leslie C.,’75, and Eileen Quick III family in concert with Jim, ’76, and Nina, ’79, Meyer have donated a total of $8 million in support of the School of Health Professions. The initiative was championed by DePerro from the moment he assumed presidency in June 2017 until his passing March 1, 2021, due to complications from COVID-19.
“This magnificent gift by Les and Eileen, Jim and Nina, and their families dedicates a landmark school to the visionary man who brought it into reality,” said John Sheehan, ’82, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Dennis made the School of Health Professions a top priority, creating a dynamic new era of health care education at St. Bonaventure. Dedicating the school to him is a marvelous way to honor Dennis’s memory and further ensure his great legacy.”
Located in the iconic Francis Hall, the School of Health Professions offers four undergraduate programs (B.S. degree in Health Science, Public Health, RN to B.S. in Nursing, and a Dual Degree Nursing Program) and three graduate programs (Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy).
Les Quick and Jim Meyer co-chaired the Presidential Search Committee that hired DePerro. From there, a strong friendship was forged.
“Dennis was a visionary leader with a compassionate spirit,” said Les Quick, founding partner of Simon Quick Advisors and trustee emeritus at St. Bonaventure. “He was proud to work alongside others in pursuit of excellence.”
Jim Meyer agreed, saying that he hoped seeing Dennis’s name on the School of Health Professions would encourage others to live their lives in a similar way.
“He was a man passionate about education and about each of us living the best life we possibly can,” said Meyer, retired CEO of SiriusXM.
The Quick and Meyer families have long been ardent supporters of the university.
Les Quick earned a B.B.A. in finance in 1975 from St. Bonaventure and has served more than 25 years on the university’s Board of Trustees. He is founding partner of Simon Quick Advisors. He splits his duties between helping oversee the firm and its progress and serving his clients with their financial planning and investment management needs. He began his career in 1975 with Quick and Reilly Inc., the first New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) member to offer discount stock brokerage to the public.
Jim Meyer earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1976 and an MBA in 1979 from St. Bonaventure. He served on the university’s Board of Trustees for 10 years. In December 2020, he retired after 16 years at SiriusXM where he rose through the ranks to become CEO. Nina Meyer is a 1979 journalism and mass communication graduate.
A ceremony for the naming of the school will be held next spring at a time and date to be determined.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. 山ǿ is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 college rankings edition.