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SCRANTON &mdash; University of Scranton President the Rev. Scott Pilarz announced via a video to the campus community on Wednesday that he will step down at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. He cited the progression of symptoms related to his diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS.
				&ldquo;During the past two years, my love [for the University] has only grown stronger and my sense of gratitude deeper.&rdquo; Pilarz said. &ldquo;I love the University too much to ever jeopardize her future. That is why I think it is prudent to step aside at the end of this year. The University needs a strong and steady hand, and I pray for the success of the search. I ask you all to pray with me for God&rsquo;s continued grace and for the University&rsquo;s unique place in the landscape of Catholic and Jesuit education.&rdquo;
				Pilarz opened the video welcoming students back, saying &ldquo;how wonderful it is to see our campus come alive. To be honest, the last five months have been a long and lonely slog. We all prayed that this week would come.&rdquo;
				He moved to &ldquo;something very personal&rdquo; that &ldquo;is difficult to share.&rdquo; He offered a quote from St. Thomas More. &ldquo;You must not forsake the ship in a tempest because you cannot rule and keep down the winds.&rdquo; He cited his initial ALS diagnosis two years ago, and how he was told the progression of symptoms is different for everyone, and that his has been slow, though he does use a wheelchair now and sometimes a breathing assistants device.
				&ldquo;There is no pain associated with ALS, and my doctors assure me ALS rarely, if ever affects cognitive ability,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;so I&rsquo;m no smarter than I ever was.&rdquo;
				The uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic makes it hard to step down, he said, noting it felt a bit like he was forsaking the ship.
				He promised to pack a lot of progress into his final year as president, working through the pandemic, addressing &ldquo;systemic racism,&rdquo; launching the 2020-25 strategic plan, and advancing a capital campaign to build the university endowment.
				Pilarz is serving a second term as president of the Jesuit institution. He filled the post from 2003 to 2011, and was succeeded by the Rev. Kevin Quinn, who stepped down in 2017. After a national search, the University announced Pilarz would return as president in 2018.
				When Pilarz steps down on May 31, he will have been the second-longest-serving president in the university&rsquo;s history, the media release notes. It also lists his more recent accomplishments.
				&ldquo;During Father Pilarz&rsquo;s second tenure as president, Scranton further advanced its commitment to providing students a transformative education in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition. The founding of the Slattery Center for the Humanities in 2019 underscores the core role that the liberal arts plays in the formation of students to become &lsquo;men and women for and with others.&rsquo; Renewed strategic enrollment initiatives led the University to add majors in academic areas of emerging growth, including mechanical engineering, cybercrime and homeland security, and business analytics, among others.&rdquo;
				&ldquo;The University increased its endowment to support student-faculty research and faculty development, and has strengthened scholarships and financial aid for students and their families. The University further aligned its commitment to serve the region by opening the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence Executive Hub on campus to enhance services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
				&ldquo;The establishment of a new community-based learning office coordinates and encourages academic course projects focused on community needs. In response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church, Father Pilarz established the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope.&rdquo;
				Board of Trustees chair James Slattery said in the release that the board accepted the resignation &ldquo;with an equal measure of gratitude and sadness.
				&ldquo;As trustees, we could not be more pleased with the masterful way in which Father Pilarz has led the University throughout his presidency and especially during these past months &#8211; perhaps the most challenging time in our history,&rdquo; Slattery said. &ldquo;His love for the University &#8211; and especially our students &#8211; inspires all of us every day, and we take comfort in knowing that he continues to lead us through the end of next May.&rdquo;
				The trustees will form a search committee to find the university&rsquo;s 28th president.
				The video, just under six minutes, can be seen on the University YouTube channel at<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZYh4ueHVVo&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZYh4ueHVVo&feature=youtu.be</a>

University of Scranton President stepping down due to ALS