Mt. Aloysius president leaving to head private institution association

Thomas P. Foley is set to step down as president of Mount Aloysius College to take on a new role in July — president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania.

The organization serves as the voice of about 90 private colleges and universities across the state — including Carlow, Carnegie Mellon, Chatham, Duquesne, Geneva, La Roche, Point Park, Saint Vincent, Seton Hill, Robert Morris, Washington and Jefferson, and Waynesburg in Western Pennsylvania.

Foley, who chairs the association board, was named at the group's annual meeting this week to succeed Don Francis, who will retire as president June 30 after more than 25 years with AICUP.

Barbara K. Mistick, who will succeed Foley in chairing the board, said his “deep knowledge of higher education, extensive administrative experience, and credibility among institutions throughout the Commonwealth make him an ideal leader for AICUP.”

Foley has served since 2010 as president of Mount Aloysius, located in Cresson, Cambria County. He has served on the NCAA President's Council and as a board member for two economic development groups in the Altoona-Johnstown market.

Previously, he worked for more than two decades in Harrisburg — where he served in two cabinet-level positions — and in Washington D.C., where he worked in both the executive and legislative branches.

“I look forward to continuing the important efforts to educate the community on the value and quality of education at Pennsylvania's private institutions,” Foley said.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.