Dr. Gerard Joyce will take over July 1st, 2024.
Emmitsburg, Md (KM) Mount Saint Mary’s University will have a new president next year. The Board of Trustees on Thursday announced that Dr. Gerard “Jerry” Joyce has been named to the position. “I am excited to have been selected to serve as the 27th President of Mount Saint Mary’s University I am humbled for this opportunity, and will assume the role on July, 2024,” Joyce said in a YouTube video message to the Mount .
Joyce will replace current President Tim Trainor who announced his retirement in March, 2023. “I pledge to serve the Mount community by honoring its mission of service to God and others,”: he says.
Dr. Joyce is currently the Executive Vice President of DeSales University in Pennsylvania. He has a 32-year career in higher education.
In a news release, the Chair of the Mount’s Board of Trustees, Gracelyn McDermont, said Joyce will an excellent leader for the next chapter in the history of the University, which is the oldest independent Catholic college in the US. She noted that Board members were impressed by Joyce’s collaborative nature, pointing to evidence of the many partnerships he has established with health care systems, and strategic thinking that helped DeSales bring in it’s largest, first year-class for two consecutive years.
“The Mount is preparing open the School of Health Professions, further expand our growing interdisciplinary and STEM programs, continue to grow undergraduate enrollment and develop new online learning programs,” McDermont said in the news release. “With his dedication to academic distinction, drive for mission-oriented expansion, and commitment to values inherent in Catholic education, Jerry is prepared to lead the university into the future.”
In his YouTube video, Dr. Joyce said he and his wife, Erin, felt strongly attracted to Mount Saint Mary’s when he visited. “When my wife Erin and I stepped foot on campus., we were overwhelmed by the spirit of the Mount,” he said. “It was something that took hold and would not let go. This was affirmed by the interactions from numerous members of the Mount Community during our visit.”
His first day on the job is July 1st, 2024. But Joyce says he will continue to acquaint himself with the Mount community. “I look forward to the many conservations with students, seminarians, faculty, administrators, staff, alumni and friends of the Mount in the coming months,” he said.
Even though President Trainor is leaving his post which he has held since 2016, Dr Joyce says he will continue a lot of his predecessor’s work. “From the picturesque university campus to the seminary to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, it is clear that this culture has been effectively and successfully cultivated by President Trainor. And I am honored to have the opportunity to build and continue his successes as we leverage the storied past of the Mount to propel us to the future,” he said in his video.
In addition to the campus off of US 15 near Emmitsburg, Mount Saint Mary’s also has a satellite campus in Frederick.
By Kevin McManus