Southern Illinois system chooses Winthrop’s Dan Mahony. Here’s what he had to say.
The Southern Illinois board of trustees voted Thursday to approve Dan Mahony’s appointment as president of the Southern Illinois University System.
He will start his new role on March 1, 2020.
Mahony became Winthrop University’s 11th president in July 2015. He will lead Winthrop until the end of February 2020, he said. Mahony’s current contract extends through June 30, 2020, said Judy Longshaw, Winthrop spokesperson.
The Southern Illinois University System serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses throughout the state, employs more than 7,000 faculty and staff and has a budget of about $867 million, according to the system’s website.
Winthrop currently has about 5,864 students.
Mahony said in a phone interview Thursday with The Herald that the Southern Illinois role will allow him to have a large impact on students and the surrounding community.
“The SIU system covers a wide area within Southern Illinois,” Mahony said.
Mahony said he learned of the role through a friend at WittKieffer, the firm SIU hired to assist with the presidential search.
“The more I looked at it, the more I became interested,” Mahony said. “It’s a different role than I’ve had before.”
Southern Illinois University System began a national search for its next president in May, according to an e-mail from John Charles, SIU spokesperson. Candidates were recruited July through August, followed by a meeting of the search advisory committee.
In early September, the search committee reviewed candidates and selected those who would be asked for first round interviews, Charles said. The committee chose candidate finalists in late September.
Finalist interviews were conducted in October and the job offer was extended in November, Charles said.
Mahony said when he joins SIU some of his immediate priorities will be to hire for open positions, help develop a strategic plan for the system and bring cohesion among the multiple campuses.
Mahony said he will “look at how to make the whole greater than all the parts.”
Mahony said the objectives he worked toward at Winthrop are similar to that of the Southern Illinois University System.
“They were looking for someone who would do the things I did at Winthrop,” he said.
Under his leadership, Winthrop launched a new logo in 2018 as part of a university-wide re-branding initiative. Mahony said then that the new logo brought a more cohesive look to campus and sent a clearer message to prospective students.
“A lot of things I did at Winthrop will model (at SIU) as well,” Mahony said.
Mahony has made it a point to attend Winthrop University events, cheer on student-athletes and be an active participant in classroom projects.
That’s what Mahony says he will miss the most.
“By far the hardest part of leaving is the students. My relationship with them was incredibly enjoyable,” Mahony said Thursday. “They are so hard working. They made every day there enjoyable.”
J. Phil Gilbert, chair of the Southern Illinois University board of trustees, said in a statement the SIU search committee was impressed by Mahony’s track record, including his improvement of Winthrop’s financial position and his focus on strategic planning, The Herald previously reported.
“Dr. Mahony is a proven leader and problem solver who has been described as a visionary in his professional experience,” Gilbert said in a prepared statement. “He has had success in key areas of importance to SIU to include enrollment strategies, diversity and inclusion, improving finances, and communicating effectively with internal and external agencies to include foundations and legislative bodies.”
Mahony has had favorable reviews during his tenure, according to the Winthrop board’s evaluations.
On June 22, 2017, the board of trustees conducted an annual evaluation of Mahony’s performance during the 2016-’17 school year and gave him a rating of ‘exceeds expectations,’ according to the resolution posted to Winthrop’s website. On June 23, 2017, the Winthrop board of trustees extended Mahony’s contract to June 30, 2019.
In June 2018, the board rated Mahony’s performance during the 2017-’18 school year as ‘meets expectations,’ according to Winthrop.
Winthrop is in good hands for its future, Mahony said. He said the university has already accomplished a quarter of its 2025 goals and has strategies in place to meet others.
“We’re fortunate to have some really great vice presidents and administrators that will still be there,” Mahony said. “Winthrop faculty are some of the most dedicated I’ve ever worked with.”
Mahony said he will continue to mentor several students from the college that gave him the nickname ‘Dan the Man.’
“A lot of them I know will do some really great things,” he said.
Mahony said his family will stay in Rock Hill while his daughter Elena finishes high school.
“Rock Hill was a great place,” Mahony said. “It’s been a great experience for me.”
