By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

CRESTVIEW HILLS - Thomas More College will soon begin a national search for the school's 13th president.

E. Joseph Lee II has announced he'll resign May 31 to be with his family in New York.

"After living away from my wife and sons for the past year, I have decided that my family commitment requires me to submit my resignation," Lee said in a statement released by the college Thursday. "This decision was not reached hastily. ... I decided that the end of the academic year seems to be the most opportune time to transfer the mantle of responsibility to a new individual."

Lee, 60, who became Thomas More's fifth lay president three years ago, was en route to Syracuse, N.Y., for a son's graduation, and could not be reached.

Members of Thomas More College's board of trustees said Lee had discussed resigning for months, but decided to leave at the end of the school year to ensure a smooth transition. Edwin T. "Ted" Robinson, who led the search committee that recommended Lee for Thomas More's presidency, said the youngest of Lee's three sons had special needs that were best met by schools in New York.

"We are saddened that Joe must do this," said William J. Zeck, chairman of Thomas More's Board of Trustees.

Zeck said the 1,500-student Catholic liberal-arts college is "extremely fortunate" to have Sister Margaret Stallmeyer take over as interim president June 1. The search for a permanent successor is expected to take six months to a year.

Stallmeyer, 57, a graduate of Thomas More College's 1968 class, is a six-year member of the school's board of trustees who has worked as an educator, administrator and Canon lawyer. She will be assisted by Jack Parker, Thomas More's vice president of institutional advancement, who will serve as interim chief operating officer.

"I'm very honored by the confidence the trustees have shown in me," Stallmeyer said. "This is an awesome responsibility and I'm sure it will pose wonderful challenges for me."

When Lee, a former administrator from Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., arrived on Thomas More's campus, a priority was to bring financial stability to a college that had been put on warning by its accreditation agency.

Under his leadership, Thomas More adopted new internal budget controls, increased outside funding and established a five-year strategic plan. Accreditation was reaffirmed in December 2002.

Lee led Thomas More's efforts to bury its "suitcase college" image by building Murphy Hall, a $6 million, suite-style residence hall. The Bank of Kentucky Observatory also was built on campus, and Lee helped the school win grants and other financial backing for a $1.8 million renovation of the library, the first phase of which will be finished this summer.

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com