Father Gregoire Fluet, Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry for Mount Saint Mary College, has been named interim president of the college. The appointment followed the stepping down of President Jason Adsit, who does not seek a contract renewal next year.

The transition began in July, when it was announced that Adsit would conclude his tenure at the Mount in June of 2024, the close of the current academic year. But in August, it was announced instead that Adsit would serve only in an advisory capacity for the 23-24 academic year, while the board of trustees named Fluet the acting president.

“We are grateful to Fr. Greg for stepping into this crucial interim role,” said Michael Horodyski, Chair of the Mount’s Board of Trustees. “It was clear to the Board of Trustees that he is the ideal candidate to serve as Interim President while we embark on a national search for Mount Saint Mary College’s eighth president. His deep passion for the Mount, genuine devotion to serving students, and utmost respect for the college’s Dominican traditions and values make him uniquely qualified to guide us through the challenges and opportunities that exist in this period of transition.”

Fluet expressed gratitude for the support given to him by the college’s Board of Trustees but also the Dominican Sisters in continuing their mission of student success, in academics and in spirituality. Past alumni and current students have reached out to Fluet expressing their support and congratulations for his appointment.

“I felt welcome at Mount Saint Mary College as soon as I got here,” he said. “I hope to be able to contribute to the mission, and to help us at Mary College to continue to grow and to fulfill that mission. If I can be of some service to the, students of Mount Saint Mary College in this position, I am grateful for being there to be of that service.”

Though Fluet will be assuming new leadership duties, he will continue, to celebrate daily and Sunday mass for the public.

Fluet, who was born in French Canada in the province of Quebec, emigrated to the United States with his family and spent time in Massachusetts and New Hampshire before finally settling in Connecticut. Early on after high school, Fluet said he felt a calling to the priesthood. Fluet would study at the Diocese of Norwich, CT and was ordained a priest in 1982, 41 years ago. At the Mount today, Fluet has been a part of the college’s annual toy drive and also teaches as an adjunct professor.

According to his biography, Fluet has an MDiv (Master of Divinity) and an MA (Master of Arts) in theology and Church History from St. John Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, an MA in American History and a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) from Clark University in History.

Back in June, Adsit had announced that he would not be renewing his contract and thus concluded his tenure since he arrived at the Mount as the seventh full-time president back in 2018. During Adsit’s tenure, the college experienced and endured the COVID pandemic which saw students transition to online classes and instruction before students were able to return to campus full time. In those unknown times, Fluet credited Adsit’s leadership for making it through that difficult time.

Though the Mount has received criticisms for low enrollment and the sale of the Desmond campus, Fluet highlighted the work of the students at the school involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, the Newburgh Ministries and other service programs through the Desmond Center that opened earlier this year. “I think to those who might be critical, I would welcome them to come and see what Mount St. Mary College is all about,” he said. “I want to continue to encourage this outreach, this service work that we are engaged in.”

With the search for a new president set to begin in the coming weeks, Fluet shared that what he is looking for in a potential candidate is someone who is student oriented, who understands that that candidate is here for the students and is here to have students succeed.

“Mount St. Mary’s College is here to stay. And it is, you know, it is very much a part of Newburgh, very much a part of the Hudson Valley,” he said. “It will continue for many, many years to offer a very quality education, but also experience to students and what a fantastic thing to be a part of.”