About

Jonathan J. Sanford, PhD

Jonathan J. Sanford, Ph.D., is the 10th president of the University of Dallas, a position he has held since 2021. His presidency is animated by a conviction at the heart of the University's founding vision: that the pursuit of truth, wisdom, and virtue forms young men and women capable of assuming responsibility for the common good.

Under President Sanford's leadership, the University of Dallas has sought to realize that calling through an uncompromising commitment to academic excellence, the formation of character, and a spirited readiness to undertake great things in service to others. His vision for UD joins rigorous liberal education with the deliberate formation of leading citizens.

Sanford came to the University of Dallas in 2015 as dean of Constantin College and was appointed provost in 2018. A tenured professor of philosophy, he graduated summa cum laude from Xavier University in Ohio with a degree in classical languages and philosophy in 1997. He received his doctorate in philosophy from the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, in 2001 and held a postdoctoral fellowship at Fordham University from 2001 to 2002. Before coming to UD, he spent thirteen years at Franciscan University of Steubenville in teaching and academic leadership roles.

An active scholar, Sanford has published widely on foundational questions of moral philosophy, virtue ethics, and the history of philosophy. His books include Before Virtue: Assessing Contemporary Virtue Ethics (The Catholic University of America Press, 2015) and The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J. E. Gracia (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022). He is also a frequent speaker and commentator on the purpose of higher education, moral formation, Catholic intellectual life, and the challenges confronting education in a changing culture.

Sanford serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hildebrand Project and as a director of Great Hearts Texas. He is a member of the American Academy of Catholic Scholars and Artists, the Dallas Chapter of Legatus, and the Higher Education Working Group of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Education.

His wife, Rebecca, is a founding board member of the Catholic women's ministry Mighty Is Her Call. They have nine children and six grandchildren and live in Irving, Texas.