Jesuit Father Brian Linnane, who announced in February that he was retiring as president of Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, said in a March 29 letter to the Loyola community that he has decided to step aside sooner. His last day will be June 30.
“Over the past few weeks, my plans have been coming together for the next part of my career – a sabbatical and an opportunity for me to re-engage my scholarship as a moral theologian,” Father Linnane wrote. “I am looking forward to immersing myself in my studies during a sabbatical year and preparing for my next ministerial assignment, perhaps returning to teaching.”
Father Linnane said that with the search for the next president “well underway,” he has been reflecting on his future at Loyola and the best timing for the transition, both for himself and the university.
“Particularly after our most recent visit with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, I am feeling enormous pride in all we have accomplished at Loyola and the ways in which we have met challenges with innovation, determination, and a commitment to the University’s mission,” he wrote. “Together, we have achieved remarkable success, and Loyola is well poised to attract a highly qualified 25th president.”
In a separate March 29 letter to the Loyola community, James Forbes, chairman of the board of trustees, and Gerry Holthaus, chairman of the presidential search committee, said Loyola is “committed to an open, transparent search process, and we will take the necessary time to identify the right president for this next chapter in Loyola’s history.”
Recognizing that Father Linnane will be leaving in June, the board of trustees will be prepared to put interim leadership in place “if necessary,” they said, noting that Isaacson, Miller (an executive search firm) is assisting Loyola in the search.
Father Linnane served as a Loyola trustee for five years and then as president for 16. When he steps down, he will take the title “president emeritus.”
“I consider it to be a singular honor to have such a lengthy association with a truly outstanding institution,” he said. “Loyola has a special place in my heart, and that will never change.”
Father Linnane, originally from Massachusetts, has written extensively about moral theology and ethics. Before coming to Loyola, he served as assistant dean and associate professor of religious studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.
Email George Matysek at gmatysek@CatholicReview.org
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