President

The Mount Mary University Board of Trustees announces the search for the university’s 13th president and invites nominations, expressions of interest, and applications for the position.

A Catholic, women’s university with programs in the liberal arts and the professions, Mount Mary University has a history of empowering women through its commitments to social justice and the development of the whole person. Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the university was founded in 1913 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) and is the first four-year, degree-granting Catholic institution for laywomen in Wisconsin. The university today enjoys a robust and mutually supportive relationship with its international sponsoring congregation through the SSND corporate board and the service of School Sisters in the faculty and administration.

For over 100 years, Mount Mary has provided undergraduate women with exceptional educational opportunities in an environment that focuses on their intellectual, spiritual and personal development, their professional aspirations, and a commitment to the common good. The university has expanded this mission to include graduate programs for women and men in selected professional fields.

The university has long been proud of its commitment to enrolling, supporting and graduating a diverse student body. In 2020, Mount Mary was recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). In 2021, nearly 63% of undergraduate students identify as racially and/or ethnically diverse. With a combined enrollment of approximately 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students, the university offers the opportunity for close faculty-student engagement and encourages student involvement in community service activities.

Located on a picturesque 88-acre campus in one of the Midwest's largest cities, Mount Mary University, in partnership with the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province and the Milwaukee Catholic Home has for the last several years been engaged as a partner in a joint venture to develop the ambitious Trinity Woods project, an innovative, intergenerational residential community designed to extend the vision and mission of the university. Trinity Woods offers state-of-the-art housing accommodations in a residential community comprised of local seniors, members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame community and Mount Mary students who are single parents of young children. This groundbreaking project will open in December 2021.

This is an ideal moment for an ambitious and energetic president to join Mount Mary and coalesce the community around a forward-looking agenda. The next president will be deeply dedicated to the Mount Mary mission and, through collaboration with a talented faculty, administration and student body, define a clear vision and strategic path forward for the university. The president will work to ensure the financial stability of the university through energetic fund-raising and strategic revenue diversification, bringing an entrepreneurial lens to the university's many strengths and assets. As a leader with a strong voice on behalf of Catholic, women’s higher education, the president will raise the university's profile and build strong relationships with Mount Mary stakeholders, including and especially loyal and dedicated alumnae/i and many community partners throughout the metro Milwaukee area. The successful candidate will be an inspiring leader who can engage the university's diverse community in further developing and implementing a clear, contemporary, and distinctive vision that builds on Mount Mary’s historic reputation and strengthens the university’s path toward a successful future.

To help Mount Mary best achieve its aspirations, the president should be a committed person of faith who personifies the institution’s mission and ethos as well as the charism, values and educational vision of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The president will be an experienced and collaborative leader who communicates readily and effectively with an engaged community. The ideal candidate will possess a combination of academic credentials, intellectual acumen and leadership savvy that will command the respect of the community; a record of exceptional leadership that demonstrates proven ability to align vision with capacity and resources, preferably within the academy; evidence of successful executive or managerial experience sufficient to lead a complex institution; and an understanding of current trends and potential strategies that will help Mount Mary University thrive in the evolving higher education marketplace. A deep understanding of the Catholic intellectual and social traditions will enable the next president to lead the university from the heart of its mission. Similarly, expertise in and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will provide a foundation for presidential success.

All applications, nominations and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in the Leadership Profile, available here. These materials should be sent via email to the Mount Mary University consultants, Greg Duyck and Sheila Murphy, at MountMaryPresident@wittkieffer.com

Mount Mary University encourages applications from all qualified candidates and is vitally committed to all aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from qualified candidates and all will receive consideration for employment regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, ethnicity, pregnancy, disability, genetic information or any other groups protected by law. Mount Mary seeks to hire and retain personnel who will make a positive contribution to its mission, vision and values.

For more information about diversity, equity and inclusion at Mount Mary please visit https://www.mtmary.edu/about/diversity