Dr. Timothy E. Trainor, who helped boost enrollment and recently launched an ambitious capital campaign, plans to retire as president of Mount St. Mary’s University, Emmitsburg, in the summer of 2024.
Trainor, the 26th president of the bucolic Maryland university since 2016, announced his retirement plans by video message March 15 to the Mount St. Mary’s community. A search for his replacement will begin this spring.
According to a Mount St. Mary’s media release, Trainor and his wife, Donna, have “decided to dedicate the next phase in their careers to spending more time with family and sharing their knowledge of leadership to help other organizations thrive.”
“We will have been here eight years and accomplished much of what we set out to do – stabilize the university by growing enrollments, raising funds for critical projects and implementing a strategic plan to guide us to a thriving future,” Trainor said in a statement released by the university. “We did this together, as an incredibly strong and resilient community, and for that I will be forever grateful.”
Trainor took over as interim president in Emmitsburg amid a leadership crisis at the school and pledged when inaugurated officially as president in 2017 to make “student success, a faith- and values-based campus and financial sustainability” his goal.
Since 2016, enrollment at Mount St. Mary’s has risen by more than 12 percent to more than 2,000 full-time students. In February 2023, the school launched the public phase of a $50 million capital campaign that will boost its STEM programs, refurbish campus facilities, add two masters programs and bolster its athletic teams.
The retired brigadier general and former dean at the United States Military Academy West Point also helped the university attract its largest freshman class in 2020 and guided it as it retained its entire workforce during the pandemic – a time when many similar-sized schools experienced layoffs.
Other major accomplishments, according to the university, under President Trainor’s leadership include:
- Addition of new undergraduate majors, such as data science, philosophy, politics and economics, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity and neuroscience, and graduate programs, such as applied behavior analysis.
- Expansion of NCAA Division I athletic teams from 16 to 24 and a near doubling of the number of student-athletes. In addition, the university moved to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, resulting in greater competition and exposure for athletes and coaches and experiential learning opportunities for students through ESPN Broadcasting.
- Investment in the university’s living and learning facilities and campus infrastructure by raising $80 million from donors, government and foundation grants and other benefactors. Projects have included the expansion and renovation of Knott Academic Center, renovation of the Tower apartment buildings, seminary facilities upgrades, and building of the Palmieri Activities Center, a two-story residential cottage, and an admissions welcome center.
- Growth at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, resulting in the seminary’s recognition as the largest Catholic seminary in the country.
- Partnerships that enable the university to bring new resources to students and the surrounding community. The Emmitsburg Urgent Care Center, in partnership with Frederick Health, provides health care not only to students but also local residents. The Daughters of Charity is a key partner in realizing the vision of the Graduate School of Health Professions, which will be located in a soon-to-be-renovated space at the Daughters’ Saint Joseph House in Emmitsburg. In addition, the Daughters are also providing space for the seminary’s Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation.
- Stewardship of the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, including a yearlong refurbishment of the landmark Blessed Virgin Mary statue. The Grotto continues to draw hundreds of thousands of the faithful annually for devotion to Our Blessed Mother and quiet prayerful reflection.
“I continue to be in awe of the outstanding accomplishments that have been achieved under the leadership of President Trainor. It has been a blessing to work with him to push our plan forward,” said Gracelyn McDermott (Class of 1993), chair of the MSMU Board of Trustees in the media release. “I am also grateful for the opportunity to continue partnering with him through this transition to ensure that we continue our progress toward our vision.”
In his message to the Mount community, Trainor committed to remaining fully engaged as president until the summer of 2024. He said his focus will be on reaccreditation, the introduction of new academic programs, construction of facilities, and planning for opening the doors of the Blessed Stanley Rother House of Formation in the fall and the Graduate School of Health Professions in 2024.
The university said it is working with Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive search firm, to find Trainor’s replacement. Russell Reynolds representatives will visit campus to engage the Mount community in developing a position profile for use in advertising the position. The timeline calls for advertising and searching for candidates in the summer, reviewing and vetting candidates in the fall, and selecting the 27th president in the university’s 215-year history by the end of 2023.
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