Catholic University President to Step Down in August

The Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, president of the Catholic University of America, announced Friday that he will step down in August after more than a decade as leader of a school with direct ties to the Vatican as well as influential alumni in political circles.

O'Connell, one of the longest-serving college or university presidents in the Washington area, is known for pushing to reinvigorate the university's Catholic identity in a way that hews closely to Church teachings. Such efforts have sometimes been a challenge for Catholic college leaders who must bridge liberal and conservative points of view among students and faculty.

But O'Connell was clear where he stood on issues related to Church doctrine and academia in advance of a speech Pope Benedict XVI gave at Catholic University in April 2008. "One thing the pope will emphasize is the importance for all [Catholic] schools to realize that they aren't independent contractors, they are part of the Church," O'Connell said.

Since O'Connell took the helm at what some call "the bishops' university" in 1998, enrollment has grown 23 percent, to 6,768. The Northeast Washington campus has expanded 34 percent, to 193 acres, with many buildings added or renovated.

O'Connell, 54, called Benedict's visit the highlight of his academic career. He said Friday that he felt tongue-tied as he rode an elevator that day with the pontiff.

"Gee, what do you say to the pope? But I didn't have to say a word," O'Connell recalled. "He turned to me and said, 'Father, I know what you've done here, and the Church is grateful.' I looked up to the sky and said: 'Take me now. It doesn't get any better than that.' "

Asked why he is resigning, O'Connell said: "To be quite frank, I feel tired after a very active 12 years. But more important than that, I think it's good for leadership to change at institutions." He said he has no plans for what he will do after he leaves the post. "I'm waiting for God to show his hand," he said.

Catholic University was opened in 1889 by U.S. bishops under a papal charter. That link to Rome -- the school's colors, like the Vatican's, are gold and white -- gives it a unique status among more than 220 Catholic colleges and universities nationwide.

It also is plugged into the political culture of the nation's capital. In 2004, for instance, the university held a debate between two alumni who happened to be chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties -- Terry McAuliffe and Ed Gillespie, respectively.

Gillespie, who sits on the university's board of trustees, said Friday that O'Connell "has done a very good job of reconnecting the school with its alumni. It hadn't had a long history of strong alumni relations. He changed the culture. He's laid an incredibly strong foundation for a successor to build on."

O'Connell has raised about $180 million for the university. Its endowment stands at $177 million, down from a peak of $224 million in 2007.

In 2004, O'Connell drew some faculty and student criticism for moves to bar prominent advocates of abortion rights, including actor Stanley Tucci, from speaking on campus.

But Patricia A. McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University, a smaller, neighboring Catholic school on Michigan Avenue NE, said O'Connell has elevated the university's profile while nurturing relations with the Vatican and his campus community.

"To be the president of a Catholic college or university today is a difficult and delicate job for any of us," McGuire said. "We all want to be faithful to the Church, but we all have very pluralistic campuses. To be president of the Catholic University is probably the hardest of all."