| Sister Francis Marie Thrailkill Appointed Interim President of WJU |
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WHEELING—The Wheeling Jesuit University Board of Directors and Board of Trustees have announced the appointment of Sister Francis Marie Sister Thrailkill, O.S.U., Ed.D., as the new interim president for the university.
Sister Thrailkill, who arrived on campus Feb. 8, is the first female leader of the university.
The former long-term president of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sister Thrailkill was selected from the Registry for College and University Presidents, an interim presidential search service founded in 1992, and used by colleges nationwide seeking exceptional leadership during transition.
“Sister Francis will be a great leader for our university,” said board chair Margaret “Mimie” Helm. “Sister Francis was chosen through a careful process that involved all campus groups, faculty, administration, students and staff. She is more than qualified. We were all impressed by her successful leadership experience, her articulation of the Jesuit charism and her enthusiasm for WJU.”
While at Mount St. Joseph, where she was president from 1987-2008, Sister Thrailkill led a co-educational 2,300-student campus that consisted of a four-year, liberal arts curriculum, with both undergraduate and graduate programs. From 1978-1987, Sister Thrailkill was president of Springfield College, Ill., a two-year, liberal arts, pre-professional and co-educational college of 500 students.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, she began her professional career earning 16 years of educational experience in Ursaline Academies in both Dallas and New Orleans, where she was a teacher, assistant principal and principal at girls preparatory schools. Most recently she served as an interim president at Cincinnati’s Chatfield College from 2008-2009. Chatfield is a three-year Catholic liberal arts college run by the Ursalines in St. Martin, Ohio.
Sister Thrailkill follows Davitt McAteer who assumed the temporary role of interim president in August.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank outgoing interim president Davitt McAteer for his service during our transition,” Helm said. “Davitt served the university at great personal sacrifice by spending enormous amounts of time away from his family. He is anxious to get back to business at the NTTC, where he is the vice president of Sponsored Programs."
Sister Thrailkill will serve in the interim president capacity for approximately 18 months as the school continues to search for a permanent president.
Sister Thrailkill earned her bachelor’s in history from College of New Rochelle, her master’s in sociology from Marquette University and her doctorate in educational administration from NOVA University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. A member of the Ursulines of the Roman Union order of sisters, she has a lifetime of experience in education. She is well published as an educator and has also earned the Woman of the Year Award from “The Cincinnati Enquirer” and the Business Woman of the Year Progress Award from the “Cincinnati Business Courier.”
“Our process of selecting Dr. Francis Marie Sister Thrailkill, O.S.U., as our interim president has been open and inclusive,” said Dr. Mary Railing, employee representative on the Presidential Search committee and chemistry professor at Wheeling Jesuit. Railing has been with the university for 17 years and added, “Sister Francis has experience as a university president and as an interim president. Her skills and experiences will be a great asset to the university. I look forward to working with her.” |