By the Saint editorial board
Dr. Alicia Córdoba – Photo by Grace Malec
Dr. Alicia Córdoba resigned as President of Aquinas College. She informed the Board of Trustees of this decision, effective immediately, on April 7, 2025. This came after three years of serving as the President of the College alongside First Gentleman George Blanchet.
The College is unsure of the exact reason behind this decision. Both unprecedented and immediate, it took the campus by surprise. At the time of publication, college officials still did not know the cause of this change in leadership, and little notice was given beforehand.
Currently, former President Córdoba’s LinkedIn account claims she is self-employed as an educational consultant. This change occurred only days after her decision to leave. The residence of Brookby Mansion has also been put up for sale for 3.3 million dollars. The residence was put up for sale months before the resignation announcement, but the house will not be reacquired by Aquinas after the President is gone. The decision to sell is to alleviate the significant amount of debt the college is currently in.
An Interim President was announced only a couple of days after the resignation. Sister Maureen Geary, O.P., has stepped in to fill the temporary role as President. Sr. Maureen is currently on sabbatical in Ireland, but has released three different messages to the Aquinas community during her time away, including one video message introducing herself.
Aquinas College Academic Building – Photo by Grace Malec
Sr. Maureen is a popular person amongst faculty, students and alumni, has previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees, who were responsible for her Interim Presidential nomination. She has been a Dominican Sister for 38 years and is a native to Grand Rapids. Staff at Aquinas have been enthusiastic about the choice of Sr. Maureen as Interim President.
“When I arrived as an Assistant Professor of Communication in August, 1994, Sr. Maureen Geary was the Chief Financial Officer under President Paul Nelson,” professor Penny Avery said. “I had great respect for her then, and I still hold that respect today. Her wealth of experience in effective leadership, along with her strong understanding of the institution, I believe, positions her to step into this role seamlessly. Often, when a new person takes on the important role of President or Interim President, there is a significant learning curve. Although Sr. Maureen will need to be brought up to speed on some of our newest initiatives, she has a strong ability to discern the financial and academic implications of the decisions that the Aquinas Community will need to make in the upcoming months.”
Sr. Maureen will return to Aquinas around May 13, so it may be September until students see the Interim President on campus.
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