Office of the President
Dr. Matthew Kostelecky to Serve as Acting President of St. Joseph’s College
EDMONTON AB - April 9, 2026
As announced on September 2, 2025, Dr. Shawn W. Flynn was renewed for a second five-year term as President at St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta. From July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, he will take a sabbatical returning to begin his second term on July 1, 2027.
St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that current SJC Vice-President (Academic) and Dean (VPAD), Dr. Matthew Kostelecky, will serve as Acting President during President Flynn’s sabbatical. Dr. Kostelecky has been at SJC since 2009, serving as Associate Dean, and then as VPAD since 2020.
SJC is also pleased to announce that Dr. Kostelecky has been renewed as VPAD for another five-year term, 2027 to 2032.
“Dr. Kostelecky has been essential to academic leadership at SJC over the past number of years,” says Dr. Flynn. “His leadership and experience will be of great service to the College as it prepares for our 100-year anniversary in 2027, and exciting new academic programing coming soon. I am particularly excited to continue working with my colleague during both our second terms, and continue building foundations for SJC’s current and future growth.”
“I am humbled to serve as Acting President next year,” notes Dr. Kostelecky, “and look forward to working with the Board, staff, faculty, students, worshipping community members, and our donors to continue the positive trajectory of SJC under Dr. Flynn’s leadership. I have greatly enjoyed working as VPAD and am also excited to continue that work into a second term.”
Dr. Flynn and Dr. Kostelecky are joined on the SJC Senior Administrative team by their colleague Amanda Hritzuk, Vice-President of Operations and Finance. Notably over the past few years, the College has moved from 1900 enrollments to over 3550 enrollments, residence operations are consistently seeing occupancy of 95% or more, and SJC has added 2 million dollars to the yearly operating budget while moving to a more stable financial picture.
“The next years for SJC will be exciting ones, from the creation of a new program, to meeting infrastructure and building needs to ensure future sustainability,” notes Dr. Flynn, “and with this in mind, I am pleased to have amazing people working with me at the College.”
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Dr. Matthew Kostelecky
Dr. Kostelecky received his PhD in Philosophy from KU Leuven in 2008. He was hired at St. Joseph's College (SJC) in 2009 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor (with tenure) in 2016. At SJC he has served in a variety of administrative roles, and has been VPAD since 2020. Dr. Kostelecky's research focuses on the history of metaphysics, with a particular concentration on the philosophical thought and legacy of St. Thomas Aquinas. Through his teaching at SJC at the University of Alberta, Dr. Kostelecky delights in opening students' minds to new ways of thinking and new possibilities.
Dr. Shawn Flynn reappointed as President of St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta for a second five-year term
EDMONTON AB - September 2, 2025
St. Joseph’s College Board of Governors is pleased to announce President Flynn has been renewed for a second five-year term, 2027-2032. Flynn will complete his first five-year term on June 30, 2026, and then take a well-earned 12-month sabbatical from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, before starting his second term as SJC President.
The reappointment followed a Board approved review process which started in January. The review committee undertook a thorough and multifaceted review of the President’s performance, gathering feedback from the community and College stakeholders. A recommendation for reappointment of Flynn to his position was made to the Board of Governors in June, which was fully endorsed.
“I am pleased to report that the members of SJC’s Board of Governors were unanimous in approving President Flynn’s renewal,” says Marion Haggarty-France, SJC Interim Board Chair. “We are very happy to have Shawn continue to provide strong leadership for the College as we continue on our journey as a community of Catholic higher education. President Flynn has made a significant mark on SJC during his first term, and we anticipate great things to come.”
In recent years, SJC has made an extraordinary turnaround. After guiding the College through a global pandemic and a fiscal crisis that threatened the College’s short and long-term fiscal health, Flynn and his team have moved the College into a year-over-year fiscally positive position. During this time, student enrolment in SJC academic course offerings grew by 44%, SJC residences have been at or near capacity, and the College’s operating budget increased by 2 million dollars. In 2023, further steps were taken to transform the College as Flynn took on the St. Joseph’s College Amendment Act, updating SJC’s 100-year-old legislation to make way for new future programs.
President Flynn also led the launch of SJC’s Strategic Plan: Foundations and Future 2025-2030, focusing the College on a path for future success, as well as updated the College’s mission statement and its entire policy suite. Flynn has worked hard to raise the profile of SJC at the University of Alberta, while fostering important community relationships and serving on numerous governance groups.
“It has been a joy to serve SJC as President these past five years”, says Flynn. “With a great administrative team, and dedicated faculty and staff, we have stabilized the College and taken steps to ensure our future. I am excited for the challenges and opportunities the next term will bring and look forward to leading SJC as we mark our 100th year anniversary in celebration.”
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Dr. Shawn W. Flynn
Dr. Shawn W. Flynn serves as the 19th President of St. Joseph’s College, and the first lay president in the College’s history.
Flynn comes with a diverse set of experiences across Canada in Catholic Higher Education. He currently sits on the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of Canada, serves as ex Officio on the Board of Newman Theological College, and sits on the General Faculties Council at the University of Alberta.
Flynn has served SJC since 2017 as the Academic Dean, then Vice President (Academic), and as the Interim President of SJC during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Flynn earned his PhD at the University of Toronto, in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, and specializes in the formation of Israelite beliefs during the Iron Age (1200-586 BCE). Flynn has produced three monographs and one edited collection with publishers such as Brill, Oxford University Press, and Routledge.
An advocate of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the conversations between faith and the public sphere, Flynn joins SJC at the heart of the University of Alberta to promote the Liberal Arts through a Catholic lens in which students can explore religion, faith, and the common good for their own development and the uplifting of society.