Mount St. Mary’s University names DeSales VP Gerard Joyce as 27th president

EMMITSBURG – Dr. Gerard “Jerry” J. Joyce, a veteran of 32 years of work in higher education, said his previous experience with Mount St. Mary’s University was pretty much a drive-through experience on his weekly trips to graduate school at Catholic University.

He’ll be getting a lot more familiar with the “Mount” on July 1, 2024 when he takes over as the 27th president of Mount St. Mary’s. The 215-year-old institution announced Joyce’s appointment in a news release Dec. 14.

Joyce currently is the executive vice president of DeSales University, a private Catholic college in Center Valley, Pa. 

He said his top priority when he moves into his job will be getting to know the students, faculty and staff at the Mount.

“I want to become a fabric of the institution,” Joyce said. “It’s all about people at the Mount and I want to dive into that culture and find out what makes them such dedicated students, faculty and alumni.”

Joyce said he plans to put his skills with enrollment and advancement to good use and bolster partnerships with the area’s medical community to strengthen the university’s goals for its new School of Health Professions.

Mount St. Mary’s Board Chairwoman Gracelyn McDermott (class of 1993) said that Joyce will be “an excellent leader of America’s oldest independent Catholic university,” in a news release issued by the university.

She said trustees praised Joyce’s collaborative nature, pointing out the many partnerships he helped establish with healthcare systems, and his strategic thinking prowess that enabled DeSales to achieve its largest first-year classes for two consecutive years in an increasingly challenging higher education landscape.

“The Mount is preparing to open the School of Health Professions, further expand our growing interdisciplinary and STEM programs, continue to grow undergraduate enrollment and develop new online learning programs,” McDermott said in the release. “With his dedication to academic distinction, drive for mission-oriented expansion and commitment to the values inherent in Catholic education, Jerry is prepared to lead the university into the future.”

Joyce will succeed Dr. Timothy E. Trainor, who announced his plans to retire in the summer of 2024 after serving as president of Mount St. Mary’s since 2016. Joyce’s appointment follows a national search that began in March 2023. 

“I am deeply honored and excited to be chosen as the 27th president of Mount St. Mary’s University and to build upon the extraordinary legacy of President Trainor,” Joyce said in the school’s news release. “Under his leadership, the university has evolved to meet the changing needs of our students. The School of Health Professions is a testament to Mount St. Mary’s commitment to forward-thinking education and responsiveness to societal needs. As we stand at this exciting juncture, I am committed to leveraging our storied past to propel us into a future where Mount St. Mary’s continues to flourish as an institution that nurtures innovation, community and excellence.

“I eagerly anticipate leading the university in this transformative era, ensuring that we remain well-poised to offer an education that is both rooted in the Catholic liberal arts tradition and attuned to the evolving landscape of higher education,” he said. “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this esteemed institution.”

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, who received his master’s degree from the Mount in 1977, said he was “delighted” by the announcement and noted Mount St. Mary’s importance to the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Catholic Church in the United States.

“I have a great love for the Mount as an alumnus and as the archbishop,” Archbishop Lori said. “Mount St. Mary’s has a long and storied history and it’s a source of great strength for the archdiocese and the church in the United States.

“I’m very happy about the announcement and delighted that the search for a new president went so well,” he said. “I look forward to working with Dr. Joyce. He has a very extensive background in higher education, especially in administration, student life and enrollment. I’m sure he will bring those strengths to bear upon the Mount.”

As the first non-clergy vice president in DeSales history, Joyce was instrumental in strategic planning and developing new programs. During his tenure as interim president, DeSales experienced enrollment growth and enhanced its academic portfolio with revenue-generating academic programs.

Under Joyce’s guidance, DeSales raised and redistributed funds to offer more than $40 million in scholarships and grants for students and developed its first branding platform. He also managed the university’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Joyce’s previous roles included serving as vice president for student life and dean of enrollment management. He has implemented innovative student recruitment strategies, developed character-building programs, and established international education initiatives. As an adjunct instructor, he taught courses on education philosophy, ethics, leadership and decision-making.

Joyce holds a doctorate in education administration and policy studies from The Catholic University of America. He earned a master’s degree in education from Kutztown University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from DeSales. He served as chairman of the Allentown Diocese Board of Education for eight years.

Joyce and his wife, Erin, a nurse practitioner, have five children: Isabella, 22; Liam, 20; Aidan, 17; Amelia, 14; and Adeline, 7. 

The Presidential Search Committee consisted of trustees, alumni and faculty, staff and student representatives, chaired by Richard Miller, ’74, and Robert Dondero, ’74. The Board of Trustees acted on the committee’s recommendation and voted Dec. 9.

Mount St. Mary’s University is a private, liberal arts, Catholic university in the Catoctin, with a satellite campus in Frederick, Maryland’s second largest city. The university offers more than 80 majors, minors, concentrations and special programs for traditional undergraduate students, and 20-plus adult undergraduate and graduate level programs as well as 24 NCAA Division I athletic teams. 

Construction has begun on a School of Health Professions that will include a graduate-level physician assistant program that anticipates seating its first cohort in January 2025 and a master’s of applied behavior analysis program that graduated its first cohort in May 2023. 

This story was updated Dec. 14 at 5:35 p.m.

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