Mount Mary President Eileen Mihm Schwalbach Stepping Down as President in 2017

Dr. Schwalbach became the 11th president of Mount Mary on Feb. 9, 2009; she recently announced plans to step down effective July 1, 2017.

Eileen Mihm Schwalbach, Ph.D., president of Mount Mary University, announced April 28 that she plans to step down at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. The University hopes to have a successor in place by July 2017.

She said the timing was right to make the transition. The University is financially sound, has successfully transitioned from college to university status, has added several innovative and highly successful academic programs, and has made key physical improvements to campus - all of which positions Mount Mary to move smoothly into the future.

Dr. Schwalbach became the 11th president of Mount Mary on Feb. 9, 2009, after serving as acting president since September 2008. Under her stewardship, Mount Mary moved up more than 20 spots in the U.S. News &World Report's rankings of private universities to No. 75 in 2015 and the number of freshman applicants increased by 50%. In 2012, Dr. Schwalbach presided over the change of then Mount Mary College to Mount Mary University, a name that more accurately reflects the breadth of the institution's bachelor, master and doctoral degree programs, including its emphasis on research on teaching and learning.

"Dr. Schwalbach's leadership has added tremendous value to the academic programs at Mount Mary University," said Marie O'Brien, chair of the University's Board of Trustees.

"We are producing students that are both problem identifiers and problem solvers throughout our community. As a result of Dr. Schwalbach's leadership, Mount Mary is graduating women who have the unique ability to see beyond what's in front of them and proactively meet the needs of our communities."

"President Schwalbach has been an outstanding leader for Mount Mary University," said Sister Mary Anne Owens, provincial leader of Central Pacific Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Mount Mary's sponsoring organization. "She has devoted her heart and soul to this institution, and her deep respect for faculty, administration, staff and students is obvious. She has worked to lift them up in every way she can. That commitment is so very much a part of the SSND educational philosophy and she has always seen it as a sacred trust."

"I am immensely proud of the faculty, staff, and administration of Mount Mary and what we have been able to accomplish together in educating and creating the next generation of bold and curious women," Schwalbach said.