Fuentes has led the Catholic university in South Austin since 2021. Shank will take over July 1 and start transitioning into the position in June, the university announced Wednesday.
Shank will serve an interim term of up to two years at the Catholic university. The St. Edward’s board of trustees selected Shank with the help of the national higher education leadership firm AGB Search and after consultation with faculty, students, staff and alumni, officials said in a news release.
The university described Shank as a collaborative leader with intensive higher education experience.
A marketing scholar and long-time academic, Shank served as the sixth president of Marymount University from July 2011 to June 2018. There, he increased enrollment, improved diversity of the student body, expanded educational offerings and completed a $40 million fundraising campaign, reporting shows.
He most recently led the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, which advocates for private higher education institutions in Virginia.
Before Marymount, Shank was dean at the University of Dayton’s School of Business Administration and previously chaired Northern Kentucky University’s Department of Management and Marketing. He graduated with a doctorate in experimental psychology in 1988 from University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he also earned his master’s degree in psychology. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
He has won recognition for his leadership, including the 2017 Global Educator of the Year Award from the World Affairs Council. The World Affairs Council is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit focused on global education.
“Dr. Shank brings a steady, mission-centered approach to institutional stewardship,” Linus Akanoh Jr., chair of the St. Edward’s University board of trustees, said in a news release. “At a time when universities across the country are navigating profound change, the board is confident that he will provide the clarity, stability and forward momentum our institution needs.”
Trustees will launch a search for a permanent president in the spring of 2027. Fuentes will leave her post on June 30.
“I want to thank the Board of Trustees and the entire university community for providing me with this opportunity to serve,” Shank said in a statement. “My focus as interim president will be to listen carefully, communicate transparently, and help position St. Edward’s for long-term strength and momentum.”