Patricia McGuire

Patricia McGuire (born 1952) is the 14th president of Trinity Washington University in Washington D.C.; she was appointed president in 1989. She is credited with successfully transitioning the institution from one that primarily served elites and was on the verge of collapse to one that primarily caters to underprivileged students, mostly local black and Hispanic women.

Early life and career A native of Philadelphia, she graduated from Merion Mercy Academy, in Merion, Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor of arts degree cum laude in political science from Trinity College, now Trinity Washington University, in 1974 and her law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1977. She was the Assistant Dean for Development and External Affairs for Georgetown University Law Center, where she was also an adjunct professor of law teaching courses in tax exempt organizations. She also was project director for Georgetown's D.C. Street Law Project as well as a legal affairs commentator for the CBS News children's television newsmagazine 30 Minutes and Washington TV Channel 5’s talk show, Panorama, hosted by Maury Povich.

Trinity presidency She is credited with the transformation of Trinity. Ward 5 in Washington, and other civic and educational organizations.

Testimony, speeches and articles She has given testimony before US Senate and House committees on a range of topics in higher education. She writes and speaks on a wide variety of topics concerning higher education and her articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, Trusteeship, the LA Times and other publications. Unique among presidents in the Washington region, she also maintains a blog on Trinity's website through which she offers commentary on contemporary issues.

Selected testimony, speeches and articles Campus Communications in the Age of Crisis, The Presidency, The American Council on Education's Magazine for Higher Education Leaders article, Fall 2007 Report Card on Tax Exemptions and Incentives for Higher Education: Pass, Fail or Need Improvement?, Tuesday, December 5, 2006 Testimony before the Senate Finance Committee Remarks for the Women's History Month Program of the Federal Triangle Partnership, Tuesday, March 14, 2006 Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation, Concerning Higher Education Financial Assistance, September 22, 2005 Remarks from Wells College Commencement, May 28, 2005 Creativity, Innovation, Celebration: The Future of Women's Colleges, Remarks for the Centennial * Convocation of the College of New Rochelle, March 23, 2004 President McGuire Gives Commencement Speech at Her Alma Mater, Merion Mercy Academy, in Merion, Pennsylvania, June 1, 2003 Strategic Planning as the Roadmap to Renaissance, Published by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Current Issues in Catholic Higher Education publication, Winter 2003 Freedom, Justice, Hope: The Witness of the University, Remarks to the Class of 2002 of Georgetown College, Georgetown University Commencement, May 18, 2002 What to Expect When the Evaluators Arrive.... or... The Seven Deadly Sins of Accreditation Visits, Remarks for Middle States Conference of Chief Academic Officers, March 22, 2002