News broke late Monday afternoon that Transylvania’s President Seamus Carey is resigning prior to the 2019-2020 academic year. The university announced that an interim president would be chosen.
Dr. Carey stated, “There are very few schools for which I would leave Transylvania. However, I have been given the opportunity to return to New York — an announcement on this new position is anticipated later this week.” It was announced earlier today that Dr. Carey will become the President of Iona College.
On the ground, the news was a shock. Many are dumbfounded, but Transy faculty, in particular, are struggling to grapple with the upheaval.
Most declined to comment, but those who did comment assumed a positive tone.
Professor of Music Dr. Greg Partain commented, “President Carey has given his all to Transylvania throughout his time here, and there’s no question but that we have grown to be stronger both as a college and a community in many important ways than when he arrived on the tail of a rather dark episode. He’s chosen to take a different position after five years—unfortunately, that’s approaching the average ‘life span’ of college presidents these days. Naturally, all of us who care deeply about Transy are going to feel anxious until a new president is chosen, but we can all commit to doing our part in next year’s search process in order to ensure the best possible collective decision.”
Fellow Professor of Music Dr. Ben Hawkins said that he “hope[s] Transy can seize this opportunity to rebuild its sense of community.”
Writing, Rhetoric, and Communication Professor Gary Deaton looks towards the future, noting that “[a] big concern is this period of transition. We are in the process of hiring a new Dean and then we will have an interim President and then we will hire Dr. Carey’s replacement. It will be a challenging time, but it will also offer an opportunity for everyone here to pull together to make the most of the opportunity to move in positive directions.”
“My hope for the new President would be that that we continue the good things we have started and also really get a vision for the specific aspects that make Transylvania unique and special. I would also hope that there would be a much greater awareness of the importance of student, faculty, and staff morale as a crucial factor in the well being of the institution,” Deaton continued.
