serving in the capacity of a university president, Pilarz planned to pursue new apostolic work as a Jesuit priest. Later life Pilarz accepted his appointment to become President of Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda Maryland, starting effectively on July 1, 2014. The University of Scranton announced on March 21, 2017, that Pilarz would succeed Quinn as the 26th President of the university. He was subsequently inaugurated on July 1, 2018. He announced one month later on August 29 that he had been diagnosed earlier that year with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Pilarz died on March 10, 2021, in Scranton. He was 61, and suffered from complications related to ALS. Professional achievements Board memberships Pilarz was previously a member of the State Ethics Commission for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2005 until 2008. He served as the representative of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) to the board of directors of the American Council on Education (ACE) from 2005 until 2008. Pilarz has been a member of the University of Scranton board of trustees since 2000 and Marquette University's board of trustees since 2009. He was the president of the board of Camden Catholic High School in New Jersey. He was also a board member of Boston College, Scranton Preparatory School, Scranton Tomorrow and the United Nations of Northeastern Pennsylvania as of 2010. Awards Most recently, Pilarz was awarded an honorary degree from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 2010. He was the recipient of Georgetown University's John Carroll Award in 2009, the highest honor awarded from the Georgetown University Alumni Association. He has also been awarded the Lackawanna Bar Association Chief Justice Michael J. Eagan Award for Dedicated Service and the Slovak Republic St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Sciences Great Medal of St. Elizabeth Award. Membership Pilarz was a member of numerous professional, academic and cultural organizations including the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America, the Shakespeare Association of America, the Academy of American Poets, the Modern Language Association, the John Donne Society and The Renaissance Society of America. See also References External links University of Scranton: President biography 1959 births 2021 deaths Presidents of Marquette University Presidents of the University of Scranton 20th-century American Jesuits 21st-century American Jesuits University of Scranton trustees University of Scranton faculty Georgetown University faculty Saint Joseph's University faculty Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni Fordham University alumni Graduate