Meet the crop of new leaders in Catholic higher education

From left to right: Robert Neal, chairman of Catholic University of America’s Board of Trustees; Father Robert Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame; George Harne, president of Christendom College; Monsignor Joseph Reilly, president of Seton Hall University; and Gerard Joyce, president of Mount St. Mary’s University. / Credit: Courtesy of Robert Neal and Catholic University of America; Matt Cashore/University of Notre Dame; Courtesy of Christendom College; Courtesy of Seton Hall University; Courtesy of Mount St. Mary’s University

CNA Staff, Jul 1, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Of the more than 200 Catholic colleges and universities in the United States, several are in the midst of major leadership transitions. Here’s a look at the most recent.

New president at America’s oldest independent Catholic University 

Gerard “Jerry” Joyce is set to begin his term on July 1 as president of America’s oldest independent Catholic University: Mount St. Mary’s University, a liberal arts university in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Mount St. Mary’s has the largest and oldest seminary in the U.S. and plays host to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which attracts more than 400,000 visitors annually.

Joyce has worked in higher education for more than 30 years and most recently served as executive vice president of DeSales University in Pennsylvania, where he expanded scholarships and brought students back to campus for the fall of 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis. Joyce will work with Mount St. Mary’s in its launching of a school of health profession.

University of Notre Dame professor replaces long-standing president

On June 1, University of Notre Dame’s new president, Father Robert Dowd, stepped into the new role. A Congregation of Holy Cross priest and associate professor of political science, Dowd had served as vice president at the university until former president Father John I. Jenkins stepped down after 19 years. Dowd is Notre Dame’s 18th president and upholds a 182-year legacy of a Congregation of Holy Cross priest serving as president.

The return of the ‘priest-president’ 

A Catholic university in New Jersey returned to its historic tradition of naming a “priest-president” following the previous president’s abrupt resignation and lawsuit against the school. On July 1, Monsignor Joseph Reilly will begin serving as the 22nd president of Seton Hall University, one of the oldest diocesan-run universities in the nation. Reilly is an alumnus of the university and the current vice provost of academics and Catholic identity. He will return the 168-year-old university to its tradition of having a “priest-president” for 146 years of its history.

Chair of board elected at Catholic University of America

Catholic University of America, a research university based in Washington, D.C. with more than 5,000 graduate and undergraduate students, appointed a new chairman to its board of trustees on June 4. Robert Neal, a real estate executive by trade and a philanthropist who has held board positions with Catholic Relief Services, The Becket Fund, and The Papal Foundation as well as Catholic Leadership Institute and Second Harvest Food Bank, will succeed Victor Smith, who served as chair since 2021 and on the board since 2006. 

Christendom’s new president to begin in July

In July, newly-elected president George Harne will begin his term at Christendom College, a Virginia-based Catholic liberal arts college. Currently a professor at the University of St. Thomas-Houston, Harne is a music history and liberal arts scholar who formerly served as president of Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts in Warner, New Hampshire, for nine years until 2020. Harne, the college’s fourth president, will succeed Timothy O’Donnell, who served as Christendom College president for more than 30 years, or two-thirds of the college’s lifetime.

Wyoming president finishes his first year

Wyoming Catholic College, a small liberal arts college known for its immersion in nature and its cellphone ban, just completed its first year under its newly appointed president Kyle Washut. Washut, a Wyoming native who has been with the college since its founding in 2007, accepted the role of president in August 2023. 

In addition, former president of Ave Maria University Chris Ice joined the college’s board of directors, according to a June 12 announcement. Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, who has supported the college since its inception, also joined the board of directors halfway through the academic year in December 2023. 

Alumnus-turned-provost at Belmont Abbey College

Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina, founded in 1876 by the Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey, announced that a Belmont alumnus would be taking on the role of provost of Belmont Abbey College on June 4. Joseph Wysocki, a Belmont alumnus and professor, will step into the role of new provost for Belmont Abbey College. Wysocki, who teaches political philosophy and government, previously served as dean of the honors college at Belmont and as interim provost last December.