The first lay president of St. John’s University will be stepping down Aug. 1, the Roman Catholic institution in Collegeville, Minn., announced Tuesday.
“It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my academic life to serve my alma mater and this community for the last seven years,” Michael Hemesath said in an announcement to the campus community.
The decision came out of a series of conversations with Dan McKeown, newly elected chair of the university’s board of trustees.
“Out of these conversations came the mutual decision for Michael to step down as president,” McKeown said. “He is planning on taking a well-deserved sabbatical in August. With that schedule, it makes sense to him and the university for him to end his term as president at that time.”
Hemesath was appointed president in 2012. During his tenure, he oversaw the renovation of Alcuin Library, the construction of the Dietrich Reinhart Learning Commons, the construction of the Saint John’s Bible Gallery, the expansion and renovation of the athletic facilities and the completion of the “Forward Ever Forward” capital campaign.
“We are financially stable, we have a dedicated and loyal alumni and donor base and we have a reputation for excellence among liberal arts universities,” McKeown said. “President Hemesath has contributed to all these strengths.”
The board will select an interim president while it determines the best course to recruit a permanent replacement, the university said in a statement.
St. John’s has been led by Catholic priests and monks since 1857, which made Hemesath’s appointment an unusual break with tradition.
He graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s in 1981 with a degree in economics and received his master’s and doctorate in economics from Harvard University. He served on the economics faculty at Carleton College from 1989-2012 and was on the faculty for two years at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.