The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities — of which Marquette is a member — announced Dr. Michele C. Murray as its next president on Tuesday, Feb. 17. She will assume leadership of the organization on June 2.
Murray has dedicated her professional career to Jesuit, Catholic higher education. She has spent three decades serving at Jesuit institutions: Loyola University Maryland, Seattle University and the College of the Holy Cross, where she currently serves as senior vice president for student development and mission.
Murray will be the first lay person to lead the organization. AJCU represents 27 Jesuit institutions in the United States and one in Belize, with three associate members in Canada. Through advocacy, formation programs and inter-institutional collaborations, AJCU supports its members in their shared work to advance the mission of Jesuit higher education.
“The opportunity to lead AJCU calls to both my heart and my professional purpose,” Murray said. “For the past 30 years, I have been guided by a deep belief in the power of Jesuit, Catholic higher education to transform lives and serve the common good. Its enduring focus on holistic student learning and development, and its commitment to creating just societies, has shaped my leadership style and my vocation as an educator. I am deeply grateful to the Jesuits who have shared Ignatian spirituality with me, and to my mentors and colleagues across our network of Jesuit, Catholic colleges and universities who labor daily to fulfill the promise of our extraordinary approach to education.”
A nationally-recognized educator, speaker and writer, Murray has served as president of the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators and currently serves on the board of directors for National Catholic Reporter. Her writing has been published in multiple journals and books, including the new “Ignatian Spirituality Reader,” published by Loyola Press last fall. Murray is a frequent presenter on mission and leadership and has facilitated workshops and retreats for institutions and organizations across the country.
Murray holds a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Maryland (College Park); a master’s degree in education and student affairs administration from the University of Vermont; and graduated from the University of Virginia with a double major in rhetoric and communication studies and psychology. Born in New Orleans and raised in Northern Virginia, Murray currently resides in Worcester with her family.
AJCU’s Board of Directors Chair, President Tania Tetlow of Fordham University, said, “At this pivotal moment for higher education, Jesuit institutions need leadership that both understands the distinctiveness of our mission and advances our shared enterprise with strategic clarity. Michele Murray understands that the strength of AJCU lies in caring for our shared mission while also supporting the presidents and leaders entrusted with carrying it forward. I am thrilled to welcome her as the next president of AJCU and am confident that she will elevate the collective impact of Jesuit higher education nationwide.”
In her new role at AJCU, Murray will work closely with other higher education and Jesuit organizations based in Washington, DC. Those include the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, whose president, V. Rev. Brian Paulson, S.J., said, “On behalf of the Jesuit Conference, I want to congratulate Michele Murray on her appointment as president of AJCU. The Society of Jesus counts on AJCU as a privileged partner in our shared mission of Jesuit higher education.”
