A Letter from Board Chair Marcie Hillary
To our Aquinas Saints community:
As we prepare to end a successful fall semester and celebrate the Christmas holidays, I want to share important news with you: President Kevin Quinn has informed the Board of Trustees he has decided not to seek another leadership term at the College. The Board is preparing to launch a national search for our ninth President.
Dr. Quinn shared his decision at our October Board meeting – a decision made after careful thought and reflection – and plans to depart at the end of the fall term. While the past 20 months have been tough on all of us, navigating the pandemic was nonstop for Dr. Quinn and his entire leadership team. They worked incredibly hard to ensure a positive student experience that relied on in-person instruction while marshalling resources to mitigate the spread of COVD-19. It should come as no surprise that Dr. Quinn is tired – and that he and his wife, Terry, are ready for their next adventure.
Dr. Quinn’s career has been one of tremendous service to Catholic higher education. We are deeply appreciative of the important initiatives he has led at Aquinas, which position our beloved College for continued success well into the next decade:
- The successful completion of the $61 million Contributing to More comprehensive campaign, the largest capital campaign in the history of the College.
- U.S. News & World Report ranking as one of the best National Liberal Arts Colleges.
- Reaccreditation through the Higher Learning Commission.
- Record student retention of 85.2% of first-year students in 2021.
- Development of the 2030 Strategic Plan and a comprehensive campus master plan.
Our current Provost, Dr. Stephen Germic, has agreed to serve as interim President during the coming search. This role will be in addition to his work as Provost, where he will continue to provide oversight of the academic affairs of the College as well as academic leadership, particularly with our transition from a three-credit to four-credit model. We are confident Dr. Germic will do a great job with his added responsibilities. Our Board is working to identify a firm to lead a national search for our ninth President. The College has been and will continue to be rooted in the Catholic Dominican tradition of prayer, study, service and community. The Board is working with faculty, staff, student and alumni leadership to identify a Presidential Search Committee who will be integral to the process. We will share more on our search progress on the College’s website, Aquinas.edu/PresidentialSearch.
As we prepare to enter this season of gratitude, know we are thankful for you and all you do to enhance the scholarly pursuits of our campus community. Please join me in wishing Dr. Quinn all the best as he and Terry prepare for a wonderful new chapter.
Best regards,
Marcie Hillary ’97
Chair, Aquinas College Board of Trustees
>Video: A Message from Dr. Kevin Quinn
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