Currently completing his tenure as the Vice President for Catholic Identity and Director of Pre-Theology at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD, where he has served since 2006, Msgr. Swetland will begin his position with Donnelly College on July 1.
“I have prayed for the chance to lead a mission-focused college like Donnelly College,” said Msgr. Swetland of his new role. “This institution has a rich, storied history and has served as an anchor in the Kansas City community for 65 years. I’m honored to be a part of this continuing legacy and I look forward to working with faculty, staff and students to help elevate Donnelly to its fullest potential. We have exciting times ahead.”
Msgr. Swetland succeeds Steven M. LaNasa, Ph.D., who left the position in December 2013, due to his family’s relocation out of the country. Robert Bartunek, former Chairman of Donnelly College’s Board of Trustees, has served as interim president during the College’s presidential search.
“I was pleased to step in during the interim to help ensure that the great work that had begun under Steve’s leadership continued at Donnelly,” says Bartunek. “Since his departure, it has been my hope that we would find a successor who would match Steve’s tenacity, resourcefulness and strength of character. I am confident that we’ve found those qualities in Msgr. Swetland, and look forward to great things to come for Donnelly under his watch. ”
“We are extremely grateful to Bob for his strong, decisive leadership during our presidential search,” said Dan Haake, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. “For the past several years, Donnelly has been poised for growth and expansion, and with Bob at the helm, we have continued that momentum. Now that we’re beginning a new era under the leadership of Msgr. Swetland, we are excited about the additional opportunities that await us. His enthusiasm for our mission and our potential is energizing and infectious. Our future will be further brightened through his guidance.”
“I am thrilled that Msgr. Stuart Swetland has accepted the presidency of Donnelly College,” remarked Most Reverend Joseph F. Naumann, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.
“I have known and admired Msgr. Swetland for many years. He is a proven leader who will be able to build on Donnelly’s remarkable tradition and continue its important mission of helping its students develop both their spiritual and intellectual potential, equipping them to be community leaders.”
Currently, Msgr. Swetland holds the Archbishop Flynn Chair of Christian Ethics at Mount St. Mary’s University, serves as the Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education, is the Executive Secretary for the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars, is a Knight Commander for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and is a fourth-degree Knight of Columbus.
Additionally, Msgr. Swetland hosts the weekly television show Catholicism on Campus on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and co-hosts the daily show Go Ask Your Father on Relevant Radio.
Msgr. Swetland received his undergraduate degree in Physics from the United States Naval Academy, where he was first in his class academically.
Elected a Rhodes Scholar in 1981, he entered the Catholic Church while studying at Oxford and was ordained a priest in 1991 for the Diocese of Peoria, IL.
He has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford; a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary; and earned his Sacred Theology Licentiate and Sacred Theology Doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University. Msgr. Swetland was named a Prelate of Honor in 2000 by St. John Paul II.
