Posted: 1/31/07

St. Michael's College selects Neuhauser as new president
Decision announced Jan. 31

Mark Gould | tech editor
mgould@smcvt.edu

Jack Neuhauser, university professor and former academic vice president of Boston College and has been named president of St. Michael's College. The former vice chairman of the St. Michael’s board of trustees will become the sixteenth president of St. Michael’s College, replacing retiring president Marc vanderHeyden, who served the college for 11 years.

Neuhauser speaks at a press conference following the announcement of his presidency. (Mark Gould, photo)

Neuhauser has agreed to a three-year renewable contract which begins July 1. In a Jan. 31 news conference in the Hoehl Welcome Center, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Joe Garrity introduced Neuhauser, who received a brief standing ovation from faculty, students, administrators, and journalists.

“Today, we are in the enviable position of having someone of Jack Neuhauser’s caliber and experience to continue our momentum and lead this great institution forward as its sixteenth president,” Garrity says.

Neuhauser, (who goes by Jack, but says his mom calls him John when she’s angry) spoke softly as he stood behind the podium, referring to the decision making process as a conversation.

“I view my role here as being a steward in this great conversation about what the Catholic liberal arts college will become, because it clearly will not be static,” Neuhauser says.

Decisions, decisions

A year ago, Neuhauser says he was asked by the trustees to become a candidate for the presidential position.

“I initially said no, and that I liked what I was doing, and I liked being a trustee,” he says. “They were a bit more persistent, and eventually, I agreed to be a candidate.”

Garrity says when comparing Neuhauser to the other three finalists, what stood out was his experience, making him a good fit for St. Michael’s.

“The other two candidates were very good, but what it came down to was who is going to be the best fit,” Garrity says. “When you bring someone in who’s been the number two guy of Boston College, and we got him here, I think that’s a great catch when you look at his experience.”

Each of the three presidential finalists was evaluated in private meetings with faculty, administrators, and students. George Dameron served on the faculty advisory committee, and says he was impressed by his meeting with Neuhauser.

“I had a very positive reaction,” Dameron says. “One of the strengths of Dr. Neuhauser is his experience as an academic leader at one of the premier research and teaching universities in the country, and the reputation of BC has continued to grow, and he’s certainly been a big part of that.”

Following the visits of the presidential finalists two weeks ago, students were given an opportunity to fill out a presidential search feedback form. Garrity says the feedback was mixed with support for all candidates.

“It was fairly broad based, and it provided some insight on where the campus community was feeling on the candidates,” Garrity says.

Junior class president and the only student to serve on the presidential search committee, Trixi Schmied met with Neuhauser on Wednesday, Jan. 17. She says Neuhauser was unaware of the DEA’s raid of a north campus residence. Schmied says some faculty and staff thought he should have known about this because of his position on the board, but she thinks all candidates were equally informed about St. Michael’s.

“Comparing them all together, they all had the same knowledge of the school,” Schmied says.

Garrity says the board only became aware of the DEA issue in January.

Catholic conversation

Neuhauser poses in front of St. Michael's, where he will start his presidency in July. (Mark Gould, photo)

When Neuhauser spoke at an open forum at St. Michael’s, he defended the college’s level of Catholic affiliation.

“I think you should do things at a Catholic college that are outwardly Catholic and you shouldn’t hide that,” he says. “I don’t think your faculty or administration should be all Catholic. You should have enough faith in your faith to be quite broadly encompassing.”

Junior religious studies major Mallory Wood said in a previous interview with The Echo that Neuhauser seems to be understanding of St. Michael’s Catholic future.

“He seemed to be a very open-minded Catholic, which I think is an important issue for our college because we are Catholic but we are also liberal,” Wood says. “We need a president who can encompass both of those aspects.

“I do believe you can lead in a way that maintains the conversation, and recognize that we will have differences,” Neuhauser says. “The dialogue has to continue.”

Bishop Salvatore R. Matano of Burlington issued a statement of congratulations to Neuhauser.

  “I look forward to a continued dialogue with the new president-elect and the St. Michael’s College community in our mutual efforts to preserve, nurture and enhance the college’s rich Catholic tradition and identity, a heritage which has educated so many over the years and helped countless young people find their way in the world and to God,” he wrote.

Boston College standout

During his time at Boston College, Neuhauser held many positions, including dean of faculties, academic vice president, dean of the Carroll School of Management, founding chair of the computer science department, and professor. He currently teaches mathematics.

Richard Keeley is the current dean of the Carroll School of Management. This is the same department Neuhauser currently teaches in. In a previous interview with The Echo, Keeley said Neuhauser is widely respected at Boston College

“He is a wonderfully kind man who has always been known across campus throughout all levels of the organization,” Keeley says. “He’ll know the names of every person who worked every shift on the janitorial crew.”

Gerald Boyle is director of housekeeping and facilities services at Boston College, and has known Neuhauser for 20 years. Boyle says Neuhauser has been genuinely interested in his life.

“Many years ago, we used to meet to get a sense of how things are going facilities wise, and half the time was to talk about family, and how my life was going,” Boyle says. “It was never just work related. He wanted to see the whole person, and that was great.”

St. Michael’s future

Neuhauser says he plans to be St. Michael’s president for as long as he can.

President vanderHeyden says he's pleased to see Neuhauser accept the position. (Izabela Socha, photo)

“I will do my best to serve this college for as long as I am able.”

vanderHeyden says he feels good about Neuhauser taking over the presidential position.

“Because he’s a trustee, we will have the opportunity to invite him to a number of activities on campus, or even be part of conversation and discussion,” he says. “He understands the issues of St. Michael’s College.”

vanderHeyden says a change in president will not change the integrity of St. Michael’s College.

“Don’t forget, it’s only the president that changes,” he says. “As far as I’m concerned, the president is one person that rotates in and out, and the rest, faculty and students, are more stable, and carry on the spirit of the institution.”