The Board of Trustees for the University of Detroit Mercy today announced Donald B. Taylor has been named the institution’s 26th president, succeeding Antoine M. Garibaldi, who will remain at the university to focus on research and teaching.
Garibaldi, whose term ends on June 30 when Taylor will take over, will continue his work at the University in 2023.
“On behalf of the entire Detroit Mercy community, we are pleased to welcome Taylor to our university and look forward to his leadership as we build on the momentum of the past decade and set new goals for the institution,” says Michael T. McNamara, chairman of the University Board of Trustees and president of Hollingsworth, a supply chain management firm in Dearborn that has more than 3,500 employees located at 32 U.S. locations.
“Taylor’s accomplishments and extraordinary experience demonstrate a commitment to excellence that fits well with Detroit Mercy’s vision and mission, and we are confident that he will help the University achieve an even brighter future.”
Taylor brings nearly three decades of higher education leadership in the areas of program development, accreditation, alumni relations, community partnership development, corporate and philanthropic fundraising, commitment to adult and post-traditional students, and international, global, and online education following decades as a researcher and educator at Catholic institutions.
Since 2014, he has served as president of Cabrini University, a private Roman Catholic university in Radnor Township, Pa., that provides undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degree programs to more than 2,000 students.
During Taylor’s tenure as president, Cabrini ranked among the top 40 Most Transformative Colleges in the nation by Money Magazine based on the institution’s “value add,” an indicator to showcase schools whose alumni report high levels of success.
Prior to his appointment as president at Cabrini, Taylor was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. from 2008-14. During his time at Benedictine, he also served as the inaugural dean of the College of Science, as well as chair of the department of biological sciences, and program director for the biochemistry and molecular biology program.
“It is a great honor, and I am humbled to be selected to serve as the next president of one of the great Catholic universities in our nation at this time in its institutional history, building from the tremendous success and momentum of President Garibaldi’s long tenure at Detroit Mercy,” says Taylor.
“In partnership with an engaged Board of Trustees, the Jesuits, Sisters of Mercy, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the greater Detroit metropolitan community, we look forward in leading Detroit Mercy to become the best comprehensive Catholic University in the Midwest.”
In 2022, the University was ranked among the top 200 national universities by U.S. News & World Report for a third year in a row, earning a number 187 rank in the National Universities category of the publication’s “Best Colleges” 2022 edition. The University is the highest ranked private university in Michigan and one of four in the state to be included in the National Universities category.
In 2021, the University broke ground on the McNichols Campus renovation project, which repositions Detroit Mercy for the future and serves as a model of efficiency and sustainability for peer institutions in U.S. cities. Finally, in December 2019, the university concluded its campaign for University of Detroit Mercy, raising nearly $115 million in this record-breaking effort.
Facebook Comments