Long-time Neumann University president to retire
Neumann's Rosalie M. Mirenda, one of the longest serving college presidents in the Philadelphia region, announced that she will retire next June.
Rosalie M. Mirenda, one of the longest-serving college presidents in the Philadelphia region, announced that she will retire from Neumann University in Aston next June.
Mirenda, 78, became president in 1996 and is in her 21st year. But she's been at Neumann a lot longer than that. Mirenda began as a nursing instructor in 1973 and served as dean of the nursing division and vice president for academic affairs before becoming president.
In a statement to Neumann faculty, staff and students on Monday, Mirenda — Neumann's longest-serving president — said that "the Good Lord has shown [me and my husband) in many ways that now is the right time for this transition ... "
During her two-plus decades at the helm, the Catholic university has grown from a commuter college of fewer than 900 students to a residential university of almost 3,000 students, the university said in a statement. Mirenda led the effort in 2009 to have Neumann reach university status. The campus also has expanded in size, going from 14 to 68 acres, and in the number of athletic teams, from nine to 24, the university said. New academic programs have been added including several doctorates, as well as residence halls built to accommodate 700 students.
In 2009, Neumann opened the Mirenda Center for Sport, Spirituality and Character Development, named in honor of Mirenda and her husband of more than 50 years, Anthony D. Mirenda.
James Delaney, chair of Neumann's board of trustees, praised Mirenda in a statement as "a tireless advocate and savvy visionary for Neumann University while never taking her eye off its Catholic Franciscan identity."
The board plans to begin a search for a new leader, he said.
"I prayed daily for strength and wisdom to handle with integrity and authenticity the responsibility I viewed as vocation," Mirenda wrote in her letter to the university community. "For more than half my life, I have ascended this holy hill almost every day. I have been and continue to be inspired by the goodness of our students, the talents of our faculty and staff, and the knowledge and generosity of colleagues across the campus, the region, and our Church."