The Mount Saint Mary College board of trustees has appointed the Rev. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, S.T.D., as the fifth president of the college. Mackin will succeed Sr. Ann Sakac, O.P., Ph.D., who will retire June 30 after 31 years as president.

“I am proud to announce that Father Kevin Mackin will be the next president of Mount Saint Mary College,” said Carl E. Meyer, chair of the board of trustees. “I am confident that Father Mackin will be able to build on the legacy of Sr. Ann, who has dedicated her life to the Mount.
“Father Mackin is a proven leader and educator and possesses strong administrative skills and a dynamic, engaging personality. Under his leadership we will move the college toward increasing levels of educational excellence and financial sustainability, while continuing to nurture the Dominican values embodied in our mission.”

The Mount’s trustees selected Mackin after an extensive national search led by trustee Eileen Casey-Leek ’69. The search was conducted in an open, inclusive manner involving trustees, students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members.

“I am delighted to serve as president of Mount Saint Mary College,” said Mackin, who was president of Siena College, a Catholic college in Loudonville, from 1996-2007. “I look forward to working with the Mount Saint Mary College family to advance the college’s mission in the Dominican tradition.”

The trustees also approved the rank of professor of religious studies for Mackin while he serves as president.

The Brooklyn native is a priest in the Order of Friars Minor, Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. He started his higher education career at Siena during the 1970s, as a professor of religious studies, chair of the Department of Religious Studies and leader of the Franciscan community.

In 1982 Mackin was appointed as president-rector of Christ the King Seminary, a graduate theological school in East Aurora. During his tenure, he chaired the Seminary Department of the National Catholic Educational Association in Washington, D.C. In 1988 he was assigned to direct development and public relations for the Franciscans of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, based in New York City.

Mackin has continued his religious and professional education throughout his life. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. Bonaventure University and a master’s in history from Siena. He holds four credentials from Catholic University of America: a bachelor’s degree in sacred theology, a master’s in religious education, a licentiate of sacred theology and a doctorate in sacred theology.

He is an alumnus of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education and completed courses in fund raising at the National Society of Fund Raising Executives, the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, and the Institute for Charitable Giving. He has also studied at the Instituto Mexicano Norteamericano in Mexico City; Laval University in Quebec City; Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.; and the World Council of Churches in Geneva.

During Mackin’s tenure, Siena College reached unprecedented growth in its offerings and added a number of facilities, including the Standish Library, the Sarazen Student Union, the Morrell Science Center and a synthetic turf field. Siena has substantially increased technology and established the Hickey Financial Technology Center. The endowment grew to more than $130 million from $80 million.

Mackin has served on a variety of national, diocesan, Franciscan and educational committees, including re-accreditation teams and papal visitation teams. He is a commissioner of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which accredits more than 500 colleges and universities. He has also served on the board of directors of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, an organization of more than 200 institutions that promotes and strengthens the mission and character of higher education. 

He chaired the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Council of Presidents, and belonged to the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities. He was a trustee of New York State’s Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. 

“I am pleased that the trustees have chosen Father Mackin to succeed me as president of Mount Saint Mary College,” said Sakac. “The Mount has experienced tremendous growth and stands ready to expand its role in serving the educational needs of the Hudson Valley and beyond, and in the renaissance of the City of Newburgh.”

During Sakac’s tenure, Mount Saint Mary College has greatly expanded its academic offerings and introduced graduate programs; incorporated technology into the classroom, its library and the operation of the college; constructed new academic facilities and an athletic center; expanded and upgraded its residence halls; more than tripled its enrollment to 2,600; and seen its annual operating budget expand from $3.5 million to $54 million.

The president-designate will take office July 1. He enjoys international travel and is currently touring Asia and the Middle East