Jim Cawley gets permanent president post at Rosemont College

Cawley had been interim president since June. He replaced Jayson Boyers, who had led the small Catholic college in Lower Merion Township for two years before leaving for a new position.

Jim Cawley, former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor, who had been interim president of Rosemont College since June, gets the job with a five-year contract.Read moreCourtesy of Rosemont College

by Susan Snyder

Published Oct. 28, 2022, 10:49 a.m. ET

Former Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley, who became interim president of Rosemont College in June, will keep the job, the school announced Friday.

He was awarded a new, five-year contract by the board of trustees, running through June 2028.

“I’m obviously greatly honored,” said Cawley, 53, a former Temple University administrator from Langhorne. “For over 100 years, Rosemont has provided educational opportunity to anyone who came through our doors with an interest in broadening their knowledge and changing the course of their life.”

Cawley replaced Jayson Boyers, who had led the small Catholic college in Lower Merion Township for only two years before leaving for a new position at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Rosemont enrolls 772 undergraduate and graduate students this year, which it said is up about 2% over last year.

A former United Way executive, Cawley initially had been one of four finalists for the job but removed himself from the running for family reasons before Boyers was hired in 2020.

“Jim has begun cultivating strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, local legislators, and other community partners,” said Maria Feeley, chair of Rosemont’s board of trustees and chief legal officer and general counsel at Washington and Lee University. “He has already seen significant fund-raising success, and he has ensured a seamless presidential transition as the college continues to enjoy robust enrollment, the opening of a newly renovated Mayfield Residence Hall, and the implementation of new strategic programs and initiatives aimed at enhancing the student experience.”

Rosemont did not conduct a presidential search.

Cawley was lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2015 under Republican Gov. Tom Corbett and in February 2015 joined the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey as its CEO. He led the United Way for two and a half years before joining Temple.

At Temple, he was vice president of institutional advancement — essentially the chief fund-raiser — where he helped bring in more than $360 million over four fiscal years and led a staff of 140 employees. In August 2021, Cawley and several other high-level administrators at Temple were replaced by new president Jason Wingard.

Cawley, a native of Levittown and a lawyer, previously was chief of staff to State Sen. Robert M. “Tommy” Tomlinson (R., Bucks) and before that volunteered on Frank L. Rizzo’s 1987 Philadelphia mayoral campaign and former Lt. Gov. Mark Schweiker’s 1994 campaign. He also has held other political appointments, including serving on the Bucks County Board of Commissioners and as a member of the Bristol Township School District board. He also has been on the boards of Temple, Bucks County Community College, and Manor College.

A graduate of the former Bishop Egan High School in Fairless Hills, he received both his bachelor’s degree in political science and law degree from Temple.

Cawley said he intends to lead the college, which recently held its centennial celebration, as he has been. A strategic planning process is underway, and he’s made personnel hires, he said.

“I’m proud to be part of the community that is boldly leading Rosemont into its next 100 years,” he said.