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����ֱ�� President Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D., has announced his plan to retire at the conclusion of the 2026 academic year. Miciak’s retirement will mark the end of an impressive career spanning five decades in the United States and Canada.��

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Since becoming the 26th leader of ����ֱ�� on June 1, 2021, Miciak has led ����ֱ�� through a period of remarkable growth and innovation through the introduction of his Inspired Futures vision. Under his transformative leadership, ����ֱ�� has solidified its position as a leader in academic excellence and student success during a particularly challenging time for higher education.��

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“I love the work and I love the people at ����ֱ��,” said Miciak. “My years at ����ֱ�� have been the most rewarding of my career and I want to thank the Jesuit community for their confidence in me as Director of the Work at this amazing University. I am grateful to all of our faculty and staff for their support and look forward to working together in the year ahead. Our next president will have the unwavering support of our board of directors, strong and experienced leadership, faculty, and staff—plus the unrivaled affinity of our alumni base.”����

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Miciak shared his retirement plans with the University’s Board of Directors at its March meeting, and the board is planning for a seamless leadership transition. WittKieffer, a national search firm specializing in higher education, has been engaged to support the confidential search. A search committee representing the breadth of the ����ֱ�� community will assemble in the coming weeks. The search will ensure the selection of a leader who aligns with ����ֱ��'s strategic vision for the future.

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Nancy Benacci and Bill Donnelly, Co-Chairs of the Board of Directors, expressed confidence in the University’s trajectory during this transition: “The leadership confidence and continuity established during this presidency will guide us forward with strength and purpose. We are grateful for Al’s extraordinary contributions and look forward to identifying a successor who will continue advancing our mission.”��

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Benacci and Donnelly added: “Al’s legacy will reflect his role as one of the most consequential presidents in our history. We hate to see him go and wish he was staying longer. At a time when other institutions are struggling, Al has set us on a strategic course to grow. He has accomplished all this during a tumultuous time in higher education with dramatic increases in competitive intensity. Al has assembled an extremely talented team who will provide continuity as we begin to seek our next leader. There is still work to be done and we have ambitious goals to achieve that will run beyond Al’s time in office. We’re looking for a new leader that will embrace our Jesuit Catholic mission and harness our momentum toward even better outcomes in the formation of our students.”

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Advancing Academic Innovation

In 2024, JCU announced the launch of its new College of Health aimed at addressing growing workforce needs. The college introduced undergraduate majors in Public Health and Nursing, and brought together pre-health advising, existing majors in Exercise Science and Sports Leadership, and graduate programs in Applied Behavior Analysis, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, Sports Leadership, and Exercise Physiology. High and low fidelity nursing labs were introduced in 2023, and a new Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Lab was added in 2024. All programs have continued to grow enrollment at a rapid rate.

Under Miciak’s leadership, ����ֱ�� continued its recognition for innovative undergraduate teaching and strong graduate outcomes, with JCU ranked in the top ten in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 30 years running, and new rankings in 2025 from the Princeton Review and Wall Street Journal placing JCU in the top 7% of all four-year universities in the nation.

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Creating A Destination Campus

In 2021, President Miciak set in motion ambitious infrastructure projects to revitalize ����ֱ��’s historic campus for modern learners. The $100 million investment to become a destination campus is a cornerstone of Miciak’s Inspired Futures strategy which also includes enhancements to the student experience and academic portfolio. The Inspired Futures campaign, which included more than 20 capital projects since 2022, has most notably invested in:

• Renovations to the Grasselli Library, featuring the Mastrantoni Family Student Success Commons, the Curiosity Lab for innovation and entrepreneurship, and new collaborative spaces for student research and group work.
• Major upgrades to residence halls, including Dolan and Pacelli Halls, providing modern amenities for students such as air conditioning and community spaces for living and learning.
• The Athletic, Wellness & Event Center, a 100,000 square foot multi-use fieldhouse, that will connect to the D.J. Lombardo Student Center and enhance athletic and recreational facilities, opening in summer 2025.
• The transformative Gateway North Project, which was approved in December 2024 and will break ground in summer 2025. Located at the intersection of Warrensville Center and Milford Roads, this 157,000-square-foot development will feature retail spaces, including a grocery store, and modern student living accommodations, enhancing the campus environment, student experience, and surrounding community. ​

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Boosting Enrollment and Fundraising

In 2024, JCU enrolled its largest and most diverse incoming class since 2020. In Fall 2025, ����ֱ�� anticipates one of its largest single-year increases in undergraduate enrollment over our more than 125-year history. During Miciak’s time, JCU also increased revenue by 25% and increased graduate enrollment by 13% in the last year.��

President Miciak has strengthened ties with alumni, donors, and the broader community. During his tenure, the institution has raised $76.7 million, including 17 gifts of $1 million or more. Most recently, the Boler Family Foundation committed $5 million to support JCU’s Go National strategy, boosting new gifts and pledges in the 2024-25 fiscal year above $25 million. Fundraising success has contributed to the growth of the institution’s endowment, which sits at nearly $300 million.��

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Expanding the Reach of ����ֱ��’s Brand

​In 2024, Miciak’s vision for JCU to “Go National” built on his Inspired Futures vision and prioritizes expanding the radius of who benefits from a ����ֱ�� education.��

In January 2024, JCU announced its transition to the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. This move aligns JCU with institutions that share a commitment to academic and athletic excellence in Ohio and beyond, providing new opportunities for competition and collaboration on a national level.��

More recently, JCU was selected as a national university partner for the Evans Scholars Foundation (ESF), a prestigious scholarship program overseen by the Western Golf Association (WGA). ����ֱ�� will join national universities including University of Notre Dame, University of Chicago, and Northwestern University, among others.��

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Miciak’s Legacy��

Miciak began his career as Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Calgary (July 1993–July 2002) then went on to serve as Dean of the Sobey School of Business at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In his next role, Miciak served as Dean of the A.J. Palumbo School of Business Administration and the John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business at Duquesne University.��

Prior to this appointment as President, Miciak led the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business at ����ֱ�� as Dean since July 2015. Under Miciak’s leadership, the Boler College of Business developed new programs and facilities across its schools and departments, and secured three significant naming gifts as part of its successful $25 million Inspired Lives capital campaign.

“Al leaves behind a legacy of growth, innovation, and collaboration that will serve as a foundation for continued success at ����ֱ��,” added Benacci and Donnelly. “His leadership has inspired confidence in the university community and positioned it to thrive in the years ahead.”

In his final year, Miciak will preside over the groundbreaking of the Gateway North Project, usher in a history-making class of 2029, host the grand opening of the Athletic, Wellness & Event Center in September, and lead the Blue Streaks to their inaugural year in the North Coast Athletic Conference, among other milestones for the institution. The next academic year promises to be an exciting one on campus.

Al and his wife, Ann, look forward to traveling and spending more time with their family.

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Additional information on the confidential national search will be forthcoming to the ����ֱ�� community in the months ahead.

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