Serving as president of the University of Dayton over the past decade has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. That’s why these words are so difficult to write.
I’ve informed the Board of Trustees and announced to our faculty and staff that I will retire no later than June 2027 after 11 deeply rewarding years as president of UD. This is the best job I have ever held, and yet I know the time is right.
Choosing to retire from the University I dearly love — and leaving behind its inspiring and compelling Marianist mission, a first-class leadership team I cherish, a faculty and staff I respect and admire, and alumni, donors, and community members who have become friends, and, especially, leaving students whom I truly adore — is, without a doubt, the hardest thing I have ever done.
I did not make this decision lightly. It came after months of reflection, prayer, and conversation.
But the time is right. For Karen and me. And for UD.
From the beginning of my presidency, I sensed that about 10 years would be the right span, enough for Karen and me to give ourselves fully to this calling. And we have done so joyfully, with no regrets. From early breakfasts with students at home and engaging evening lectures in the Kennedy Union ballroom, to important faculty and staff and trustee meetings and thrilling Flyer games, I cannot imagine a more fulfilling life.
I often watch the sun rise over the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception as I walk to my office in the morning. Many evenings end over dinner and conversation at the president’s residence or in students’ homes in the neighborhood, surrounded by some of the most curious, imaginative, and faith-filled people I have ever known. These moments will forever be etched on my heart.
Yet it’s time for Karen and me to carve out time to do more things together, explore new places, and spend more leisurely time with family and friends. I look forward to this next chapter with my partner and best friend, grateful for our health and for the chance to simply be together in this season of life.
Beyond these personal reasons, a change is good for UD, too. In the now fast-changing world of higher education, UD can benefit from a new skill set, a fresh perspective — and the opportunity to stretch even higher as a University that has always adapted and changed for the times. UD is strong and well-positioned, and this is the right time for a thoughtful transition. While I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together, I recognize that change in leadership, from time to time, is healthy and necessary for any organization.
There will be time for me to express in person my deep gratitude for each of you who has made my time at UD the greatest blessing of my life beyond my family. I can’t promise I won’t choke up or well up from time to time. The Marianists so value meaningful personal relationships, and I will leave here having established more in 11 years than the rest of my life put together. So, this will be hard for me — and for Karen as well — but only because UD is such a special place. So many of you — students, Marianists, alumni, community members, trustees, faculty and staff, donors and friends — will leave indelible marks in my mind and on my heart.
When I was announced as the next president of UD on Sept. 15, 2015, I shared some words that are even more true today than they were that day. More true because I have lived the absolute dream of being UD’s 19th president:
“I stand here today cognizant of my history and possessing a better appreciation than ever before of how blessed I have been in my life, and that these blessings have led me to this point in my career and my life.”
As I closed that day, I asked that we “…commit to work together selflessly, collaboratively, and with common purpose: to make the University of Dayton an even greater and more diverse university, with local and global impact through our teaching and research and community engagement, and as a beacon of Catholic and Marianist values in a world that so very desperately needs moral action and not just moral constructs.”
I thank you for making this commitment over the past decade. All that has been accomplished since that day is due to your hard work, contributions, prayers, and God’s providence and grace.
For now, I offer a deeply felt “thank you” and ask for your continued prayers for the University that we love and for my work in serving all of you and our common mission.