Fr. Erick Berrelleza, SJ, is founding dean of Messina College at Boston College (BC). Part of the university’s $100 million Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative to enhance educational opportunity for underrepresented, first-generation students, Messina College will offer an associate degree program beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. The residential college will enroll 200 students and be located at Boston College’s new Brookline Campus.
A Los Angeles native, Erick received a bachelor’s in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Divinity degree in theology and ministry from Boston College, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Boston University. From 2019-2021, he served as a visiting scholar in BC’s Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. He has also served as a member of the boards of trustees of Boston College, Santa Clara University, Brophy College Preparatory School in Phoenix, and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose.