Cabrini College president to retire in June

The president of Cabrini College announced today that she will retire at the end of June after 16 years at the helm of the Radnor-based school.

Antoinette (Toni) Iadarola, 67, was the first lay president of the Catholic college when she took over in 1992.

The school has launched a national search for her replacement.

Iadarola said the time to leave was right, with a new strategic plan ready and the celebration of the college's 50th anniversary.

"Personally, it is terribly difficult for me to leave but I believe that now - with the 50th anniversary celebration and the launch of a new five-year strategic plan - is the right time for a transition," she said in a prepared statement released this afternoon. "A new president will have a road map for the future, a road map developed with input from all areas of the college community."

She added that her decision to leave comes as the school completed its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which brought in $20 million - $3.5 million more than the goal.

Under her leadership, the college raised more than $100 million for capital improvements and increased its endowment exponentially, from $3 million to $28 million, college officials said.

Undergraduate enrollment also grew from 732 students to 1,700, with the number of students living on campus more than tripling to about 1,100. College officials said applications were up 71 percent for the 2007-08 year.

The 112-acre campus also added new facilities, including the $18.5-million Center for Science, Education and Technology, which opened in October 2005.

Cabrini College Board Chair Theresa A. Cavanaugh said Iadarola had a profound impact on the school.

"Right from the start, she established herself as a take-charge leader on this campus and in the region," Cavanaugh said in a prepared statement. "She was a founding member of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education. She is a tireless fund-raiser. She has recruited some of the top people in their fields to Cabrini, and she has challenged and inspired the board and the entire college community to greatness."

Under her tenure, Cabrini was a leader in establishing community service as a graduation requirement and in 2005, it became the first college in the country to sign an agreement with Catholic Relief Services to support the organization's global outreach program, college officials said. Cabrini students and faculty are working on a number of pressing issues around the world, including forced labor problems in Brazil and AIDS education for youth in Africa and Central America.