William L. Keleher

The Reverend William L. Keleher SJ
Keleher c. 1951
20th President of Boston College
In office 1945–1951
Preceded by	William J. Murphy
Succeeded by	Joseph R. N. Maxwell
Personal details
Born	William Lane Keleher (1906-01-27)January 27, 1906 Woburn, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	October 27, 1975(1975-10-27) (aged 69) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma mater	College of the Holy Cross
Orders
Ordination	June 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 20 years. In 1946, Boston College's School of Nursing was established, and in 1948, the college's ROTC program was created.