University of St. Thomas President Julie Sullivan’s decision to step down in favor of becoming the first female and layperson president of Santa Clara University wasn’t an easy one to make.
“I would wake up in the middle of the night and I would, on the one hand, be excited about going to Santa Clara because I am attracted to it as a university and excited about being with my family in particular,” Sullivan told TommieMedia on Tuesday. “But then I’d wake up an hour later (and) be devastated about leaving St. Thomas.”
Sullivan, who announced her decision Tuesday to step down in an email to the university community, said she was offered the position at Santa Clara in February after initially refusing to be interviewed for it in October. But after her son and daughter encouraged her to give it a shot, Sullivan interviewed for the position via Zoom in January and then in-person in February.
St. Thomas’ first female and layperson president finally made her decision when she asked herself a question.
“I said, ‘Would it be harder to tell my colleagues at St. Thomas I was leaving or harder to tell my son and daughter, who live 30 minutes from Santa Clara, that I wasn’t coming,’” Sullivan said.
Sullivan already has a home in La Jolla, California, which is where her husband lives. Two of her children, along with four – and soon to be five – grandchildren also live in California.
Sullivan accomplished a lot in her nine-year tenure, which is 2.5 years longer than the average for a university president, according to the American Council on Education. Some of the highlights include the launch of the Dougherty Family College, the founding of the Morrison Family College of Health and St. Thomas athletics’ move from Division III to Division I.
“I had never experienced a faculty and staff who were so centered on students as I did at St. Thomas,” Sullivan said. “I so enjoyed my time and will continue to enjoy my time for the next three months with our students. They are our purpose, and they’re what helps us feel that we’re part of a mission and a job that’s bigger than ourselves.”
Despite the move to California, Sullivan said the university will “not miss a beat” as it moves forward.
“They’re very committed to seeing the momentum at St. Thomas continue,” Sullivan said. “I am one person, but it’s all the people of St. Thomas that make it so great and that are doing all the great work, and that’s going to just continue.”
Although Sullivan will be a 2,000-mile drive from St. Thomas, she hopes to return to see some of the projects started under her leadership become reality.
“I hope that I’ll have the chance to travel back and visit with many of my colleagues and friends and see some of those milestones come to fruition because they’re very meaningful to me,” Sullivan said.
With plenty of memorable moments to choose from, Sullivan said watching the first class of Dougherty Family College students graduate stands out to her, as many St. Thomas faculty who weren’t a part of the college came to watch members of the 2019 class turn their tassels.
“Seeing our whole community be there to celebrate those scholars and see their extended families there to celebrate them is probably one of my most proudest moments,” Sullivan said.
St. Thomas’ Board of Trustees will organize a committee to begin its search for a new president soon; Sullivan will not be a part of that committee.
“It will be a full national search because that’s what St. Thomas deserves,” Sullivan said.
On June 1, Dean of the St. Thomas School of Law Rob Vischer will become the university’s interim president.
“I’m going to enjoy working with (Vischer) during this next three months to ensure we have a really smooth transition,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s departure coincides with the search for a new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a VP for Strategic Involvement. On top of that, St. Thomas is looking to eliminate lower priority activities as the university did not fulfill its enrollment expectations in fall 2021 as well as January Term and Spring 2022, earning $10 million less in net revenue than during the 2018-19 school year.
“As the School of Nursing opens and grows, as the Schoenecker Center opens – and that’s going to attract students – as we get more visibility in Division I and other things, our enrollment is going to grow,” Sullivan said. “(We will) work with our board to help us invest in our people in the meantime, so we don’t lose them. And I think our long term budget outlook is quite good and that we are a financially strong school.”
Not only will Sullivan leave the university, but so will her dog Bella, who is often seen around campus. Sullivan said students will get their chance to say goodbye to her and Bella before she steps down.
“I’m bringing Bella back to Minnesota, and she’ll live there with me until June 1, so (there will) be lots of time to see Bella,” Sullivan said.
As Sullivan’s time at St. Thomas comes to an end, she said she learned a lot in her first job as a university president.
“I always tell people, ‘My dreams are only fantasies if other people don’t share them.’ So I learned the importance of trying to rally a community around some shared dreams that we could pursue together,” Sullivan said.
Scout Mason can be reached at maso7275@stthomas.edu.