William L. Keleher

William L. Keleher
Bust-length portrait of Keleher
Keleher c. 1951
20th President of Boston College
In office
1945–1951
Preceded byWilliam J. Murphy
Succeeded byJoseph R. N. Maxwell
Personal details
Born
William Lane Keleher

(1906-01-27)January 27, 1906
Woburn, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 27, 1975(1975-10-27) (aged 69)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materCollege of the Holy Cross
Orders
OrdinationJune 1937

William Lane Keleher SJ (January 27, 1906 – October 27, 1975) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was the president of Boston College from 1945 to 1951. During his tenure, the school oversaw rapid and significant growth in the number of students returning from World War II under the G.I. Bill. In the span of five years, enrollment increased from approximately 200 students to over 7,500.

To accommodate this growth, Keleher oversaw construction of three permanent buildings, including Fulton Hall, for the School of Management, and Lyons Hall. He also relocated several military structures onto the campus for use as student housing. While meant to be temporary, the structures remained for almost 20 years. In 1946, Boston College's School of Nursing was established, and in 1948, the college's ROTC program was created.