Alicia R. Córdoba, president of Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, resigned on April 7. No reason was given for her resignation.
According to the most recent federal data, Aquinas College enrolls nearly 1,300 undergraduate and less than 100 graduate students. Women represent 58 percent of the undergraduate population.
Dr. Córdoba assumed the Aquinas College presidency on July 1, 2022. She has over two decades of experience in Catholic higher education, including service as a faculty member and administrator. Before joining the Aquinas College community, she was associate vice president and director of the Center for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. Earlier, she spent 19 years in faculty and administrative positions of increasing authority at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
A native of the Chicago suburbs, Dr. Córdoba holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois. She was the first woman to receive a doctor of musical arts degree in English horn performance from The Juilliard School in New York City.
Upon accepting Dr. Córdoba’s resignation, the Aquinas College board of trustees appointed Sister Maureen Geary as interim president.
A member of Dominican Sisters-Grand Rapids, a certified public accountant, and an attorney, Sister Geary has been affiliated with Aquinas College for decades. She previously spent 10 years as the college’s vice president of finance and controller, as well as an assistant professor of business. She also served as a board member for 12 years and participated in the board’s finance, investments, benefits, and Dominican heritage committees.
Sister Geary received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan.