Hehir said he also plans to maintain the school's commitment to the study of world religions and to explore the public role of religion--areas in which search committee members praised his expertise.

"It was quite obvious to all of us that of all the very qualified outside candidates, none of them approached his combination of abilities, skills and character that we thought we really need," Cox said. "He's the kind of person who combines the skills and intellectual competence you expect in a university with hands on experience."

Valera said she hoped Hehir would also be able to lead students at a school still reeling from the surprising circumstances surrounding Thiemann's departure.

"A large part of the sentiment from the student body last year was, 'What does this mean for us?'" she said. "I think more of a concern was, 'What does this reflect about the nature of the school?' Part of that was a disconnection from one another."

She said she believed Hehir would be able to help the student body articulate a shared sense of purpose in the wake of Thiemann's departure.

Still, Cox said that the desire for a familiar leader in the wake of the departure and surrounding controversy was not the driving force behind the selection.

"I thought it would [play a role] and it didn't really," Cox said. "When we talked to outside candidates, I was convinced they could handle that situation competently and smoothly, and I was sure [Hehir] could, too."

"It didn't figure very prominently when the actual choice was made," Cox said.