Daniel Curran will celebrate his 10th year since taking the job of University of Dayton president later this month.

Looking back at his tenure, which almost never even started, Curran said he is most excited about working with the students.

"Ten years have gone very fast for me," Curran said. "For me, probably the biggest thing it means is 10 classes have graduated during my tenure. And that's the most exciting thing for me, that all these graduates are going out into the world and making a difference."

In UD's last 10 years under Curran, first-year applications, campus size, total endowment dollars and sponsored research dollars all have nearly doubled, according to an August 2011 University of Dayton Magazine story.

But initially, Curran said he declined UD's offer to apply for Brother Ray Fitz's former position. Fitz, the university's longest-lasting president who served from 1979-2002, announced in September 2000 that he would step down two years later.

When first approached in January 2001, Curran said he was happy as the executive vice president of academic affairs at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, his alma mater.

But following a failed initial search, Curran said the UD search committee contacted him again in December 2001. Curran said he then toured the campus with his family right before Christmas and formally accepted the job at a press conference on Feb. 18, 2002.

"When you looked objectively at Dayton, there were so many good things happening, and the possibility to do even more was clear as could be," Curran said. "It was one of those situations where I literally said, I guess I finally reached the age where I could say, 'If this is God's will, this is where I'll be.'"

Fitz said he met with Curran three times during his day-and-a-half-long first visit to campus in 2001. Fitz said he discussed the university's possible next steps with the individual who later became the school's first lay president.

Fitz said he is proud of the steps UD has taken under Curran's leadership.

"He has taken some bold moves to move the University of Dayton forward, but he's also been extremely concerned that those bold moves are shaped by our Catholic and Marianist educational tradition," Fitz said.

University members said the upcoming anniversary reminded them of Curran's achievements.

"An anniversary always gives an opportunity to look back and see what someone has accomplished," said Teri Rizvi, university vice president of communication. "And from my perspective, what he's accomplished here has been nothing short of amazing."

Rizvi said Curran "has a tremendous vision for the university" and is a bold, calculated risk-taker.

Paul Fain, a writer for InsideHigherEd.com, an online higher education news source, wrote the UD Magazine feature story on Curran last summer as a freelance writer.

In the article, Fain, wrote that UD's "pace of change has been among the most rapid and substantial at any American university" during Curran's tenure.

"He's confident and aggressive in a way that applies throughout the university," said Fain, an Oakwood native, in a phone interview.

Members of the President's Emissaries, a selected group of students who participate in events with Curran, said they agreed with Fain.

Danny McCorry, a junior biology and philosophy major and President's Emissaries member, said he joined the group specifically because of Curran.

"I'm a strong believer in Dr. Curran, I like what he's done with the campus since he's gotten here and I wanted to be able to work more closely with him," McCorry said.

Michael Galligan-Stierle, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, also said Curran has done a great job balancing overall university improvements with Catholic Marianist improvements.

"I would say he has not only maintained a balance, but he's taken the school to new heights in both ways," Galligan-Stierle said. "So it isn't just strengthening the academy, it's also strengthening the academy in a Catholic Marianist way, which I think is important."

And to Curran, although he didn't consider the opportunity for almost a year before arriving at UD, he said all of his high hopes have come true.

"I was so excited about the possibilities and the great thing is, for me, that everything that I thought the community was about here and the faculty and the students and the staff, really has been 99.9 percent true," Curran said. "... Everyone wants the best for the university."



Left, Daniel Curran speaks at a press conference introducing him as president with former president Brother Ray Fitz in the background in this Feb. 18, 2002, file photo in the Kennedy Union Ballroom. Right, Daniel Curran stands up during a UD men's basketball game with his son, Aidan Curran, a junior electronic media major, sitting next to him in this Feb. 27, 2011, file photo at UD Arena.