Alvernia President Named to NAICU Board of Directors

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President of Alvernia University, Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D.

READING, PA (02/12/2014)(readMedia)--  Alvernia University President Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D., has been elected to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). Flynn will represent National Region III, which includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky.

Members of the NAICU Board of Directors set the association's agenda on federal higher education policy, actively encourage support of NAICU priorities and initiatives and oversee the association's financial administration. President Flynn will serve a three-year term.

"NAICU's new board members and officers were elected by their peers because of their commitment to America's college students, leadership experience, and interest in advancing the cause of private, nonprofit colleges and universities," said NAICU President David L. Warren. "They assume their responsibilities at a time of great challenge and transformation for American higher education."

As its sixth president, Flynn joined Alvernia in 2005, and has overseen development of new strategic and campus master plans and the campus-wide process culminating in the achievement of university status. Under his leadership, Alvernia has successfully concluded its first comprehensive capital campaign; completed a range of major capital projects; and launched endowed professorships, Faculty Excellence Grants, and two Centers for Excellence: the Holleran Center for Community Engagement and the O'Pake Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Public Service.

Previously, Flynn has served on a number of national boards including the American Council of Education's coordinating board for all sectors of higher education. In 2011, he was elected to the boards of both the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU).

Dr. Flynn has written and spoken extensively on contemporary higher education and has been a consultant-evaluator for the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Lilly Endowment, and over forty institutions. In addition to serving as a board member for the Reading Health System, he serves as an advisory board member for the Jesuit Center in Wernersville (PA) and the journal, "Liberal Education," and continues to teach modern literature in Alvernia's innovative Seniors College.

ALVERNIA is a distinctive Franciscan university, grounded in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions, that combines diverse academic opportunities with personal attention and an unmatched commitment to community service. Alvernia empowers students to become "ethical leaders with moral courage." Through real-world learning and the challenging guidance of faculty mentors, they discover their passion for life and turn what they love into lifetimes of career success and personal fulfillment. Alvernia students do well and do good.