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GRAND RAPIDS — Aquinas College announces that Juan Olivarez, Ph.D., has accepted the position as president of Aquinas College.  The news was formally announced today at a May 24 press conference at Holmdene Manor on the college’s campus. Dr. Olivarez, 61, becomes the school’s seventh president in 125 years, succeeding C. Edward Balog, Ph.D, who in January announced he will retire on June 30 of this year after serving three years as president at the private, Catholic college.

Prior to the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Dr. Olivarez served for nine years as the president of Grand Rapids Community College. Although content with his role at the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, Dr. Olivarez was pulled by the opportunity to re-engage with his alma mater and higher education, a profession in which he has spent the majority of his career. Olivarez continues to maintain various civic and community leadership positions on both local and national levels.  Olivarez’s community involvement credentials were an important consideration as the college evaluated his candidacy.

After serving first as Provost and then an interim president, Dr. C. Edward Balog became president of Aquinas in 2007 and in January 2011 announced his intention to retire upon completion of the College’s fiscal year, June 30, 2011.

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