Presidential Search PROSPECTUS
MOUNT ST. MARY’S MISSION STATEMENT
As a Catholic university, Mount St. Mary’s graduates ethical leaders who are inspired by a passion for learning and lead lives of significance in service to God and others.
University Values
As members of the Mount St. Mary’s community, we deeply value:
• A Student-Centric Focus
• Our Catholic Identity
• Service to God and Others
• Academic Excellence
• Our People
• A Transformative Learning Environment
• Teamwork
• Stewardship
• Inclusion
• An Ethical, Competitive and Entrepreneurial Winning Spirit
• Honesty and Integrity
Mount St. Mary’s Undergraduate Mission Statement
Mount St. Mary’s University is a Catholic institution of higher education dedicated to liberal learning in the pursuit of truth. Mount St. Mary’s, mindful of its role in the Church’s mission to the world and respectful of the religious liberty of all, affirms the values and beliefs central to the Catholic vision of the person and society, and seeks to deepen understanding of our faith and its practice in just and compassionate engagement with the world.
In order to enable individuals to understand and to challenge or embrace the cultural forces operating on them, Mount St. Mary’s, in all its curricular and co-curricular programs, encourages each student to undertake free and rigorous inquiry leading to a reflective and creative understanding of the traditions which shape the communities in which we live.
Mount St. Mary’s strives to graduate men and women who cultivate a mature spiritual life, who live by high intellectual and moral standards, who respect the dignity of other persons, who see and seek to resolve the problems facing humanity, and who commit themselves to live as responsible citizens.
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary Mission Statement
Mount St. Mary’s Seminary prepares men for the Catholic ministerial priesthood in the Third Millennium; men who love with the heart of the Church, think with the mind of the Church, and are formed to have an integrated core of human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral virtues modeled by Jesus Christ, our High Priest.
A bout the M ount
Founded by the French immigrant missionary priest the Rev. John Dubois in 1808, Mount St. Mary’s is America’s oldest independent Catholic university located on 1,400 bucolic acres at the foot of the Catoctin Mountain in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The main campus also includes America’s largest Catholic seminary, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, and the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year. A satellite campus for the university’s adult accelerated and graduate programs is in Frederick, Maryland’s second-largest city.
At the Mount students find the intersection of their passions and talents. They delve into what’s in their minds and in their hearts so they can launch careers and lives that matter. The Mount is dedicated to liberal learning in the pursuit of truth. Mindful of our role in the Catholic Church’s mission to the world and welcoming to all, regardless of religious background, we affirm the values and beliefs central to the Catholic vision of the person and society and seek to deepen understanding of our faith and its practice in just and compassionate engagement with the world. Our campus environment — with a beautiful, natural setting, historic
architecture and active student life — lifts the spirit and cradles the heart.
The Mount enrolls more than 2,000 full-time students in five academic divisions on its two campuses. About 42% of students are people of color, and the university continuously works to improve and sustain an inclusive culture of equity, dignity and respect for everyone. The university has made great strides in achieving the three strategic priorities of the Mount St. Mary’s University Strategic Plan: 2018-2025: student success, a faith-and values-based campus environment, and financial sustainability and stewardship. The Mount is poised to begin work on developing the next strategic plan in 2024.
The university offers over 85 majors, minors, and special programs in four undergraduate schools and more than 20 graduate and adult undergraduate programs. A graduate School of Health Professions is slated to open in the fall of 2024.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Mount St. Mary’s No. 48 among best universities in the North region. The Mount is also ranked as a best value university and best college for veterans in the North region.
T he M ount E xperience
Mount students are immersed in rigorous academic offerings in small classes with a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio. All classes are taught by professors rather than teaching assistants, and nearly all professors have terminal degrees. Every student takes common courses in our sequential core curriculum, based on the Catholic intellectual tradition and rooted in the liberal arts. Integrated into every academic major, and including leadership development and cultural components, the core curriculum provides a true liberal arts education in all of its dimensions — communication and analytical skills, cultural content and character formation.
The university provides support and programming for students who seek distinguished fellowships and scholarships that provide unequalled experiences for personal and professional growth. Over the last seven years, the Fellowships program has helped students win seven Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, eight Fulbright English Teaching Assistant awards, three Fulbright Study/Research awards, two Fulbright US-UK Summer Institute grants and more.
The academic year culminates with the SPARC Festival that showcases the scholarly and creative projects of our academic community, including senior capstone presentations by Honors students.
Mounties enjoy active and exciting social experiences such as dances, bingo nights, and an annual canoe battleship tradition. Nearly 30 percent of students compete as an athlete on one of our 24 NCAA Division I and two premier club athletic teams. Most of the Division I teams compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Our women’s bowling team is nationally ranked, and the premier men’s club rugby team recently won a national championship. Both our men’s and women’s basketball teams have punched tickets to March Madness in recent years.
2,570 STUDENTS 14:1 Student-to-Faculty RATIO
AVERAGE CLASS SIZE 18 42% STUDENTS OF COLOR
Students Come From 47 STATES 38 COUNTRIES
O utcomes
Students engage in enriching spiritual, service, leadership and experiential opportunities that prepare them for meaningful careers and lives bound to make an impact on the world. A student-run café provides experience in operating a business, an ESPN broadcasting studio provides training in high-end television production and the student-run activities program offers valuable leadership experience.
Nearly 75 percent of graduating seniors have completed at least one internship during their four years at the Mount. More than 95 percent of graduates are employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation.
As evidenced by the university’s ranking in the top 10% of colleges and universities nationwide in terms of the long-term earnings for a four-year college degree, the Mount’s Career Center continues to help Mounties maximize their potential and advance professionally long after graduation.
The Fellowships office also provides support for graduates. In the past five years, four alumni have been awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, all with assistance during the application process from the Office of Competitive Fellowships. One of those recipients, a 2017 graduate, is now an assistant professor of chemistry at the Mount.
51 MAJORS 37 MINORS
100% of classes taught by PROFESSORS
100% of first-year students BUILD A RESUME
74% of students complete an INTERNSHIP before graduation
96% OF GRADUATES are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation
A n A we -I nspiring L ocation
Two saints, a martyr, two United States presidents and many athletic greats have walked our grounds and left their mark on the Emmitsburg campus. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton taught Christian doctrine to children in the grotto when she first came to Emmitsburg, and Saint Teresa of Calcutta visited the Mount twice. Blessed Stanley Rother, a seminary graduate, came back to campus to pray for guidance shortly before he was killed while serving in Guatemala. Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama spoke on campus, and Babe Ruth played baseball on Echo Field.
The Mount’s main campus in Emmitsburg offers a peaceful rural setting close to multiple cities. We are conveniently located just off US 15, south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and north of Frederick, Maryland. The university is just an hour’s drive from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. with several other charming towns and cities nearby.
Our main campus features four hiking trails and ample places for spiritual reflection at the National Shrine Grotto, located on the hill above the university. The 25-foot golden Blessed Virgin Mary statue atop the Pangborn Campanile at the Grotto looks over campus with her outstretched arms and loving gaze. Students refer to this regional landmark as “Mom,” evoking the family feel of the university.
Mount St. Mary’s has significantly upgraded its physical campus in recent years. In the fall of 2022, the university celebrated the opening of the expanded and renovated Knott Academic Center and an urgent care center on campus, operated by Frederick Health.
Other recent building projects include the Palmieri Activities Center, a 28-bed residential cottage, and a welcome center in addition to renovation of three apartment buildings. Currently, work is underway on an addition to the Coad Science Building, a freshman residence hall is being renovated, and outdoor gathering spaces are being enhanced. In a wing of St. Joseph House in the town of Emmitsburg, the Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation will be ready by August when first year seminarians move in for the new propaedeutic stage of formation. In another wing of the complex, demolition has begun on the interior so that the School of Health Professions can be built out over the next year.
POSITION SPECIFICATION
The Role and Reporting Relationships
Reporting to the self-perpetuating Board of Trustees, the President leads all aspects of the University, including the main campus in Emmitsburg, the Frederick campus, Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. Areas of oversight include strategic planning, administration, academics, fundraising, major capital projects and renovations, and financial sustainability and health.
Reporting directly to the President are members of the University Cabinet, as follows:
• University Chaplain
• Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Vice President and Seminary Rector
• Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students
• Vice President of Enrollment Management, Marketing and Communications
• Vice President for University Advancement
• Vice President for Business and Finance
• Vice President and Chief Equity and People Officer
• Director of Athletics
• Chief of Staff
• Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
Priorities
The President will complete the implementation of the Strategic Plan (2018-2025), which calls for Mount St. Mary’s to be recognized for a relentless commitment to student success, financial sustainability and stewardship, and a faith- and values-based campus environment that inspires graduates to lead lives of meaning and significance. The President will develop and implement future priorities and strategic plans with the Board.
In addition to the day-to-day responsibilities of leading the University, the next President will be expected to focus on the following opportunities and challenges:
PROVIDE INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP
• Serve as a model of Catholic leadership for all the University’s constituents;
• In partnership with the Board, facilitate an inclusive strategic planning process to ensure the University’s continued success into the future;
• In collaboration with members of the senior administrative team, meet objectives outlined in strategic plans;
• Support efforts to enhance academic excellence;
• Communicate how diversity and inclusion align with the values of the Catholic faith and enhance the environment for student success at the Mount;
• Improve enrollment, including admissions, retention and graduation rates; and
• Ensure expansion of student opportunities and mission to promote the development of future leaders.
RAISE VISIBILITY AND RESOURCES
• Articulate and promote the University’s Catholic identity and its many distinctive advantages to a wider audience — regionally, nationally and internationally;
• Lead ambitious fundraising efforts to support the University’s mission and financial strength;
• Engage in the national discourse regarding the importance and impact of a liberal arts education;
• Represent the University in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania;
• Encourage greater alumni participation and involvement in the University’s affairs in areas of their expertise, talent, time and resources to strengthen the University’s academic reputation and financial stability;
• Elevate and expand the athletics program and promote success in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference; and
• Promote enrollment, development and formation of clergy at the Seminary.
BUILD ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY
• Recruit, develop and retain talented faculty and staff;
• Enhance student engagement by supporting academic achievements and expanding student-centered events and activities;
• Foster institutional pride and an atmosphere of belonging among all campus constituents;
• Build strategic partnerships that enhance the University’s offerings, academic standing and reputation; and
• Foster a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in alignment with the Catholic Church’s teachings on social justice and community.
Qualifications
Mount St. Mary’s University is seeking a transformational, strategic and inspirational leader who will engage all members of its community in advancing its central educational mission by building on its many strengths and supporting its core values. Strong candidates should demonstrate a deep understanding of the mission of Catholic higher education consistent with the standards set out in Ex Corde Ecclesiae and the Mount’s high standards of faculty achievement in teaching, scholarship and student engagement. The President will be a faithful and practicing Catholic who is firmly aligned with the University’s values, goals, achievements and aspirations.
Strong candidates are also expected to demonstrate a record of excellence in most of the following areas:
• Inspirational leadership of people and organizations;
• Nurturing and fostering of spiritual growth among students and the University community;
• Extraordinary communication skills, including public speaking, persuasive writing and active listening;
• Nuanced understanding of the changing landscape of higher education and a nimble approach to managing change in response;
• Strong interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence, including authentic compassion and empathy;
• Track record of experience with advancement and as a successful fundraiser;
• Management skills and experience that include leading complex organizations and budgets;
• History of working and collaborating with students as a teacher, mentor and leader;
• Highest level of integrity, honesty and a strong moral compass;
• Collaborative, consultative and thoughtful decisionmaking style that indicates a deep appreciation for shared governance; and
• Visionary and programmatic leadership style, including strength in setting goals and seizing opportunities.
Mount St. Mary’s has a strong institutional commitment to excellence through diversity in its educational programs and employment practices; we actively seek and welcome applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world.
Nominations, inquiries and expressions of interest should be sent to: MSMU@russellreynolds.com
16300 Old Emmitsburg Road Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727 MSMARY.EDU CONTACT
