Paul B. Hurley Jr. will retire as president of Trocaire College in July, the school announced Thursday.

Hurley, president of the college in South Buffalo since 1998, is 66 and said he’s looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren, catching up on his reading and remaining active in the community.

“It’s time,” he said. “I’ve been in higher education for 41 years and looking to do different things. I enjoy being in Buffalo, so I’m not moving.”

A Buffalo native, Hurley was an English professor and vice president at a community college in Harrisburg, Pa., before coming back home to lead Trocaire.

He is the first lay leader of Trocaire and only the fifth president of the college, founded in 1958 by the Sisters of Mercy.

During his tenure at Trocaire, the college has grown to nearly 1,500 students from 560.

He is given credit for providing the college some financial stability, expanding Trocaire’s offering of two-year degrees and adding the college’s first four-year degree programs.

Under Hurley’s leadership, the college bolstered the ranks of its faculty, completed a $5.2 million capital campaign and added the Russell J. Salvatore School of Hospitality & Business in Lancaster.

“Paul Hurley has taken the college to new heights,” said Lisa Kirisits, chairwoman of the college’s board of trustees. “His presidency will be remembered for building on the legacy of those Sisters who came before him, while honoring their mission with zeal and action.”

Hurley, the older brother of Canisius College President John

J. Hurley, will retire effective July 1.

A presidential search committee has been created, and Trocaire trustee Sharon L. Hanson has been appointed chairwoman.

“Dr. Hurley has worked diligently to lay a solid foundation for his successor to build upon,” Kirisits said. “Now our challenge is to find the right leader who can continue Trocaire’s journey of excellence in higher education.”

Hurley thanked the college’s staff and faculty.

“I am particularly grateful to my wife, Mary, who has been an integral member of the Trocaire community,” Hurley said. “We are honored to have provided access and outreach to so many deserving women and men.”

jrey@buffnews.comnull