Saint Mary’s hires veteran leader to become next president

Richard Plumb coming to the East Bay campus after serving in high-profile posts at several other schools

yORAhA >> Richard Plumb will take over as president of Saint Mary’s College of California starting July 1, the school announced Tuesday.

Plumb, who will be the college’s 30th president, is currently the executive vice president and provost at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.

He will replace James Donahue, who is retiring at the end of the academic year after serving in the position for seven years.

“Saint Mary’s College holds a distinctive and highly admired place in the landscape of higher education, and I am deeply honored to be appointed as the college’s next president,” Plumb said in a statement. “I have a profound respect for the rich legacy of the college, its Lasallian approach to education and its commitment to providing students with a transformative and life-changing intellectual and spiritual experience.”

Plumb’s background includes senior leadership positions at the University of St. Thomas, Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, the University of Kansas in Lawrence and Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.

Saint Mary’s, which has about 3,500 students in undergraduate and graduate liberal arts and business programs, kicked off the search for someone to replace Donahue last May after he announced the previous month that he planned to retire.

“Richard’s passion for Saint Mary’s and Catholic higher education, along with his considerable accomplishments, made him the standout candidate in a competitive national pool of applicants,”

Kevin Nagle, the chair of Saint Mary’s board of trustees and who co-chaired the search committee for Donahue’s replacement, said in a release. “We are excited to have him join the Saint Mary’s community.”

Forty people from around the country applied to become president, Tamara Monosoff, the college’s senior director of communications, said via text.

The compensation package for Plumb was not disclosed.

“Richard not only understands the issues facing higher education today, he demonstrated to us how a university can succeed in today’s environment,” Kim Vogel, another trustee and search committee co- chair, said in the release. “Richard’s considerable experience in fundraising, program development and diversity initiatives made it clear that his unifying vision can lead Saint Mary’s to the next level.”

Plumb earned his doctorate and master’s and business degrees in electrical engineering all from Syracuse University in New York.