When Elmira College President Charles Lindsay, who announced his upcoming retirement last October, officially steps down June 30, a seasoned veteran will step in to guide the college forward.
The college board of trustees held a gathering Tuesday, June 16 to announce John F. Dolan — currently head of school at St. Mary’s Lynn, a private Catholic college in the Boston suburb of Lynn, Massachusetts — will become Elmira College’s 16th president.
Dolan’s appointment follows an exhaustive nationwide search by the selection committee, according to board of trustees Chairman George Winner.
“This is a very significant milestone for Elmira College. This is an opportunity to look ahead with optimism and excitement,” Winner said. “The committee reviewed over 90 candidates from across the country before they identified our next leader.
“Elmira has experienced significant growth in enrollment and fundraising in recent years, and we are confident that Dr. Dolan’s energy and leadership experience will build on that momentum,” Winner added.
Under Dolan’s leadership at St. Mary’s Lynn, enrollment has nearly doubled during his tenure. The school also secured more than $25 million in annual fund support and made other financial improvements during Dolan’s tenure, according to an Elmira College news release.
Prior to joining St. Mary’s, Dolan was senior vice president for enrollment management and athletics at Simmons University in Boston. He also had previous leadership roles at Le Moyne College, La Salle University, Drexel University, and the University of Denver.
Dolan is looking forward to applying that experience to his next challenge.
“Elmira College is uniquely positioned to provide the extensive, authentic educational experience that our young people need,” he told the crowd. “I look forward to standing alongside faculty, staff, students and alumni, and the board of trustees. It’s a wonderful community that has moved Elmira this far so fast. The wonderful work this team has done is almost breathtaking.”
For his part, Lindsay says Dolan is taking over an institution that’s heading in the right direction, and he gave most of the credit to the people he’s worked with over the past nine years as president.
“Our success is really a result of everyone’s effort,” Lindsay said. “We’ve got real tangible results that show we’re on a great path and well-positioned for success. We’ve got some real momentum. The future is even brighter.”
Dolan and his wife Marilyn will relocate from the Boston area to Elmira this summer and will reside in The President’s Home on campus.
Dolan said Elmira is well-positioned for what he believes will be “the era of the small college” amid the proliferation of artificial intelligence technology.
“It requires our young people to be authentic, engaged, and real,” Dolan said.
“Who better than Elmira College to produce graduates that will go out into their community that have a good moral and ethical understanding of artificial intelligence, how to apply it, how to think through it, and then how to use it and leverage it.”
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira College introduces new president amid ‘optimism, excitement’
Reporting by Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette / Elmira Star-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Murray, Elmira Star-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
