February 13, 2023
A message from Thomas Mengler, J.D., President:
The fundamental direction of St. Mary’s University – its Catholic Marianist mission, values and purposes – was established 170 years ago. Due in major measure to the Marianist Brothers themselves, as well as generations of students, faculty, staff and alumni, St. Mary’s fundamentals have never wavered.
That said, I believe St. Mary’s is and always should be evolving. We are an unfinished work in progress, prepared to adapt to the goals of the next generation of St. Mary’s men and women, who in strategic and creative ways look to advance the efforts of their predecessors.
In my 11th year as President, I believe that it is now time to begin the process of handing off my role to the next president, who will bring new vision and imagination. This past Friday, I announced to the St. Mary’s Board of Trustees that I will be retiring as President on May 31, 2024, 17 months from now. You will soon be receiving a note from Lynda Ellis, Chair of the St. Mary’s Board of Trustees, announcing the formation of a presidential nominating committee and the steps that have begun to search for and recruit the 14th President of St. Mary’s University.
Let me take this moment to express my and Mona’s gratitude to you. Mona and I are honored and grateful to have received the opportunity to build on our predecessors’ good works. We feel blessed to have been able to foster with you the St. Mary’s culture of excellence, to deepen with you our Catholic and Marianist character, to develop through our alumni’s generosity significant long-term resources for St. Mary’s, and to foster our faculty and staff’s dedication to educating our students for lives of purposeful leadership grounded in their faith in God. I look forward to continuing to advance these goals in the coming months. God bless you and your families.