By Ryan Miner
After weeks of being embroiled in controversy with both students and several faculty members, Mount St. Mary’s University President Simon Newman resigned, according to an email forwarded to me by the Unversity (I am a graduate student at Mount St. Mary’s).
According to the email announcing Newman’s resignation, the University issued the following short statement:
Mount St. Mary’s University President Simon Newman Resigns
Emmitsburg, MD (February 29, 2016) Mount St. Mary’s University today announced the resignation of its president, Simon Newman, effective immediately. Karl Einolf, Ph.D., Dean of the Richard J.Bolte, Sr., School of Business has been named by the Mount St. Mary’s University Board of Trustees as the school’s acting president.
“The board is grateful to President Newman for his many accomplishments over the past year, including strengthening the University’s finances, developing a comprehensive strategic plan for our future, and bringing many new ideas to campus that have benefitted the entire Mount community,” said John Coyne, Chairman of the Mount St. Mary’s University Board of Trustees. “We thank him for his service.”
“I am proud of what I have been able to achieve in a relatively short time particularly in helping the University chart a clear course toward a bright future,” said Simon Newman. “I care deeply about the school and the recent publicity relating to my leadership has become too great of a distraction to our mission of educating students. It was a difficult decision but I believe it is the right course of action for the Mount at this time.”
Before Einolf’s appointment to Dean of the Bolte School of Business in 2012, he served on the faculty as a professor of finance. He was a recipient of the University’s Richards Award for Teaching Excellence, and he served for six years as the Director of the Mount’s Honors Program. He has published papers in numerous business and economics journals, and has presented his work at national and international conferences. Before joining the Mount in 1998, Einolf served the Sprint Corporation in various finance, marketing, and human resource positions.
About Mount St. Mary’s University
Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland is the nation’s second-oldest Catholic university, with an award-winning student life program, more than 40 majors and minors to choose from and 17 Division I athletic teams. For more information please visit: www.msmary.edu.
Media contacts:
Rick Keating, Keating/Co.
917-767-2400
rkeating@keatingco.com
Christian Kendzierski, Mount St. Mary’s University
301-447-5366
kendzierski@msmary.edu
I just saw that email as well. Shocking but not surprising given that the controversies didn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The Mount is a great school and I have no doubt it will emerge even stronger.