NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (July 1) -- The Reverend Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., Ph.D., President at Saint Vincent College, will serve as chair of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Presidents' Council for the 2021-22 academic year. Father Paul's term begins July 1.

Father Paul succeeds Paul J. McNulty '80, President at Grove City College, who served as the PAC Presidents' Council chair in 2021-22.

"I am honored to serve as chair of the Presidents' Athletic Conference's Presidents' Council and follow in the footsteps of Grove City President Paul McNulty, who provided excellent leadership through his good work over the past year," said Father Paul. "Athletics, and the values and principles that athletics promote, are a vital piece of each of our member institutions. I look forward to working with the conference's administration, coaches and staff in continuing to ensure that our student-athletes thrive both on the playing field and in the classroom. Thanks to its tremendous leadership and the shared values of its membership, the PAC is a premiere NCAA Division III conference, and Saint Vincent College is a proud member."

The Presidents' Council holds ultimate authority and responsibility for PAC governance and is responsible for the establishment, direction and, if necessary, the enforcement of general policy, including the conference office's annual budget and all other financial matters. The league's name clearly reflects its founding principle that operational control of all aspects of intercollegiate athletics is ultimately the responsibility of the presidents of each member institution, and thus active presidential leadership and oversight is paramount in conference administration. Institutions involved understand that the key components to its progress lie in the foundation of faith in each member. It is the conviction of its membership that the PAC is the solution to the dilemma of intercollegiate athletic competition, and they have staked their athletic future on this premise.

Father Paul began his appointment as president at Saint Vincent on July 1, 2019. Under his leadership as executive vice president in 2017, the College launched the Forward, Always Forward, $100 million campaign to strengthen the school's endowment, provide additional scholarships for students and enhance the academic programs. Additionally, the campaign expanded the Dale P. Latimer Library, provided advanced technology updates for Alfred Hall and the classrooms in the Robert S. Carey Student Center, and updated the student life and hospitality hub and dining services, including the construction of DiPadova Hall and a complete renovation of the College's dining hall. Funds from the Campaign's silent phase provided for the $5.7 million James F. Will Engineering and Biomedical Sciences Hall, which was dedicated in November 2017. The Campaign concluded on June 30, 2020, having raised more than $118 million. In his other service, Father Paul assisted in successful fundraising campaigns for the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion, the Fred M. Rogers Center, Headmasters Hall and a variety of scholarship endowment funds at Saint Vincent.

 Father Paul has been active in pastoral ministry, having served at Saint Thomas More Parish in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Saint Lawrence Parish in Brookline, Massachusetts. He continues weekend ministry at Saint Catherine Labouré Parish, Saint Louise de Marillac Church and Saint Joan of Arc Church in Pittsburgh, while he has assisted in pastoral ministry with the Pittsburgh Steelers as priest-chaplain since 2003.

Father Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) (2021-present), Board of Directors for the Higher Education Research and Development Institute (2021-present), Board of Trustees of Fort Ligonier (2016-present), the Board of Directors of the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation (2008-present) and as an advisor to the Board of Straub Brewery Inc. (2010-present). He has been a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (2002-present) and previously served on the boards of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau (2005-2008), Benedictine Military School, Savannah (2004-2007) and the Board of Incorporators of the Saint Vincent College Corporation (1996-2002).

A native of St. Marys, he is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Robert and Irene Taylor. He has two brothers, Lawrence and Robert.

The Reverend Myron Kirsch, O.S.B. will serve as chair of the PAC Athletic Administrators Council. Associate Director of Athletics, Senior Woman Administrator (SWA), Director of Compliance and Head Women's Volleyball Coach Susan Hozak will chair the PAC Senior Woman Administrator Council. The PAC Faculty Athletic Representatives Association will be led by Dr. Christopher McMahon, a professor of theology and chair of the College's Department of Theology.

Dr. Jeff Mallory, Executive Vice President, and D.P. Harris, Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Head Men's Basketball Coach, will also provide guidance and strengthen collaboration and engagement throughout the academic year to support student-athlete opportunities on member campuses and within the conference.

Saint Vincent College is a Catholic, co-educational liberal arts and sciences college sponsored by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey. The College's 200-plus acre suburban campus is located at the foothills of the scenic Chestnut Ridge, 35 miles east of the city of Pittsburgh. Saint Vincent was the first Benedictine foundation in the United States. The Archabbey and College were founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in Bavaria. Saint Vincent College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11-to-1, giving students a very rich learning environment. Total undergraduate enrollment is approximately 1,500, with 55 percent men and 45 percent women, while approximately 200 students are enrolled in Saint Vincent's nine graduate programs. The College offers 54 majors and more than 60 minors throughout three schools of study, including the Alex G. McKenna School of Business, Economics and Government; The School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; and the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. Saint Vincent College has been repeatedly ranked in national publications, including: U.S. News & World Report (first tier, national liberal arts colleges), College Factual (top five percent nationwide), Study.com (top Benedictine college in the nation and seventh best Catholic college nationwide) and Washington Monthly (top liberal arts colleges).

Joe Onderko will continue serving the PAC as its commissioner in 2022-23, his 17th year as the league's chief administrator. Deputy Commissioner Kevin Fenstermacher enters his 11th year with the league office this summer. Kristin Consuegra recently joined the PAC as its Assistant Commissioner for Governance and Championships.

Currently comprised of 11 select private institutions – Allegheny College, Bethany College, Chatham University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College – the PAC remains a unique organization in this day of high-pressure intercollegiate athletics, with academics at the center of each member's philosophy. Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University have competed as affiliate members in the sport of football since 2012.

The PAC crowns league champions and awards all-conference honors in its 23 championship sports.