After Julie Sullivan was announced as the new president-elect of St. Thomas, students voiced their expectations and excitement about the Board of Trustees’s choice.

Many students vocalized their support for the president-elect, who will succeed the Rev. Dennis Dease who will step down June 30.

“She’s going to change things up. This will be something new for St. Thomas,” sophomore Sarah Ubani said. “The president has so much influence on a campus. I could see good things happening.”

Sophomore Andrew Leonard said Sullivan’s position as a lay person in the Catholic Church provides an opportunity to enhance others’ depiction of faith.  

“I think it’s going to be interesting to have someone who is a lay person. It might help connect with the public and bring a religious perspective to those who aren’t religious,” Leonard said.

However, several students also said Sullivan’s new dynamic will not change much about St. Thomas’ identity. Senior Albert Conteh said that the news is exciting, but he does not expect drastic changes.

“I think it’s really exciting because it’ll be something fresh for St. Thomas, but I don’t think that a new president will be that big of a deal,” Conteh said.

Junior Theo Larson said the presidential decision was not dependent on gender or ordination, and he expects the St. Thomas community will operate in the same way.

“I don’t know why being a man and being religious has anything to do with this position. I don’t know why anything will go any differently because of the change,” Larson said.

Instead, Larson said Sullivan’s background as an accountant is what intrigued him most about the change.

“Tuition could go down. If she comes from a business background, I hope she changes how some of the money flows through the university,” Larson said. “I think some things get too much money and other things don’t get enough, and that’s something I would like to see change.”

Sullivan said in her introductory speech that one of the greatest achievements that she facilitated during her time at the University of San Diego was the recognition as a “changemaker” campus, promoting creative, economic and environmentally-friendly values among students.

Senior Chris Daniels said he would be impressed if St. Thomas emulated similar values going forward.

“It sounds perfect for St. Thomas. Now that we have all these new buildings, it’ll be great to attract new people and new students to the university,” Daniels said. “I know that St. Thomas is hoping to be carbon-neutral … maybe she could help us reach that goal.”

Freshman Theresa Pham said she sees the green imprints that Rev. Dennis Dease has made in the university, but she is eager to see them move forward.

“There are eco-projects here, but they aren’t very prominent. I would love to see (Sullivan) make those programs bigger,” Pham said.

As for Dease’s departure, many students said that his legacy will continue to live on during the new presidency.

“I love Father Dease. I’m so glad that he’ll be handing me my diploma,” Conteh said.

Anastasia Straley can be reached at stra0669@stthomas.edu.