Above: William Thierfelder speaks with students on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. (photo: SEAN BUSHER / Belmont Abbey College)
This story was originally published by the National Catholic Register under the title, A Transformative Tenure: Belmont Abbey College’s Outgoing President Found His Job in the Register. It is republished with permission.
Growth, gratitude and virtue mark William Thierfelder’s historic 21-year presidency.
Belmont Abbey College President William (Bill) Thierfelder is a man most look up to — not only for his stature at 6-foot-8, but for his abiding trust in divine Providence, which has given rise to a transformative 21-year tenure marked by growth, gratitude and virtue at this Catholic liberal arts college founded in the Benedictine tradition 149 years ago.
Thierfelder, the 20th president of Belmont Abbey College, announced in February that he was retiring Aug. 2, after two decades of stewardship. His historic presidency has been marked by record enrollment, expanded degree programs, enhanced campus facilities, a successful $150-million capital campaign, a reinvigorated Catholic identity of the college, and a strengthening of community partnerships.
Thierfelder, 66, a licensed psychologist, received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Maryland and his master’s and doctoral degrees in sports psychology and human movement from Boston University.
The Ad That Changed History
In 2004, Thierfelder was serving as president of York Barbell Co. in Pennsylvania. One day, he was reading an article in the National Catholic Register and an employment ad caught his attention.
“Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the word ‘Benedictine.’ I have a great affinity for St. Benedict. The word is in an ad for the president of Belmont Abbey College,” Thierfelder told the Register.
“I had never heard of Belmont Abbey College before. For some reason, I started reading the ad. Then I did something I’d never done before: I cut it out and brought it home to show my wife, Mary.”
The two discussed it casually, but no action was taken. “Then, over the next five days, I kept seeing the piece of paper,” Thierfelder said. “It was in my pocket; then it was in my folder. I just kept seeing that piece of paper. At about two o’clock in the afternoon, I felt compelled to call the phone number. A gentleman answered the phone. I said to him, ‘Look, you might think I’m crazy. I’m not looking for a job. But can you just tell me more about this?’”
They had a 40-minute conversation, which led to a providential two-hour meeting in Pittsburgh days later. After being grilled about his scholarly qualifications, to which Thierfelder admits he had none, he was asked if he was still interested in the job.
“And I heard myself say, ‘Yes,’” Thierfelder said. “I remember leaving the airport thinking, ‘I just told this guy I’m interested in being the president of Belmont Abbey College. I’ve never seen it before!’ But I have always trusted in divine Providence. So I put it in God’s hands.”
A Place of Peace and Welcome
Weeks went by before Thierfelder received a call to come down to North Carolina with Mary for an interview. “The very first time we drove there together, as we got off the highway and we saw Belmont Abbey, we both took this collective breath. We’re like, ‘Oh!’ We were struck that there seemed like something good here,” he recalled.
The Thierfelders then went into the abbey basilica and prayed a Rosary for discernment in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament and the statue of Mary, Help of Christians, whose feast day is May 24. “We had such a sense of peace praying there,” Thierfelder said. “And I can tell you, if Mary didn’t have a sense of the call to come here, there’s no way we would have come here. But after we prayed there, we then went and met the trustees and the monks, and faculty, and staff, and some students. And our peace just grew and got deeper.”
About a week later, Thierfelder came back to campus to accept the job. “Abbott Placid was driving me back to the airport afterwards,” he said. “And while he’s driving me back, I said, ‘By the way, how many people applied from the Register ad?’”
The abbot raised a single finger.
Transformation and Historic Growth
Robert (Bob) Gallagher, former chairman of the board of trustees, whose family has had ties to Belmont Abbey since the early 1900s, is among those who describes Thierfelder as a “transformational” leader.
“Bill enhanced the college’s Catholic and Benedictine identity to the extent that the college has been recognized by the Newman Guide as one of the most authentically Catholic colleges in the nation,” he told the Register. The college is also annually part of the Register’s own “Catholic Identity College Guide.”
Gallagher noted that Thierfelder strengthened the faculty, and in 2022 Belmont Abbey College was ranked No. 1 in undergraduate faculty in the South by U.S. News & World Report. He also steadily increased enrollment and changed the face of the campus by championing and exceeding an aggressive $150-million building campaign, which will fund the construction of a new monastery for the Benedictine monks in addition to expanded scholarship offerings and other upgrades.
“It is hard to imagine that any one individual could have done more for Belmont Abbey College than Bill Thierfelder has done during his long tenure as president,” Gallagher said.
Over the past 21 years, the college’s enrollment has more than tripled, from just 500 students enrolled in 2004 to more than 1,600 students currently. The Class of 2025 saw a record number of 360 students graduate on May 17.
Thierfelder oversaw the development of eight new degree programs, including bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, a nationally recognized Honors College, and the premier Motorsports Business Management Program — fitting, as the campus is located near Charlotte, where NASCAR’s legacy began.
More than 40 new or refurbished facilities have had an impact on the college community, including: the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel, five new dorms, eight refurbished sports fields and venues (the college’s Crusaders play Division II), a new dining hall, an updated library and science building, and a new CaroMont Regional Medical Center adjacent to the college, which opened in January.
“Bill has been instrumental in forming the Belmont Abbey College of today,” said Chuck Cornelio, a retired Lincoln Financial Group executive who is chairman of the college’s board of trustees. “He’s a remarkable Catholic presence. He significantly strengthened the Catholic identity of the college and elevated the profile of the school: the only Catholic college in five Southeastern states.”
Christlike Sportsmanship
A standout track and field athlete for the University of Maryland, Thierfelder was a two-time Division I NCAA champion in the high jump and in 1984 made the Irish Olympic team (though an injury prevented him from competing.) He also was a NCAA Division I coach and is the author of Less Than a Minute to Go: The Secret to World-Class Performance in Sport, Business and Everyday Life.
Cornelio believes graduates are emerging from the college as well-formed leaders, having been schooled in Catholic social and moral teaching. He cites Thierfelder’s influence in developing the Sport Virtue Institute, which provides programs to educate and form athletes and coaches in excellence and virtue, as an example.
“It is a unique approach that is now being modeled in our conference,” Cornelio said.
During Thierfelder’s tenure, more than 65 Belmont Abbey College teams won the Messick Award, the Conference Carolinas recognition of best overall sportsmanship.
“Dr. Thierfelder’s impact on the Department of Athletics at Belmont Abbey College during his tenure as president cannot be overstated,” said Stephen Miss, vice president and athletics director. “Heavily influenced by Pope Pius XII’s ‘Sport Properly Directed’ quote, Dr. Thierfelder’s holistic, comprehensive approach to achieving peak performance is at the core of and largely responsible for all our successes over the past 21 years.”
Julia Beeman, chair and associate professor of the college’s Department of Criminal Justice, also serves as the NCAA DII faculty athletic representative.
“Since 2007, I have had the great pleasure of working across campus to see the president’s vision of athletics as a means of developing character and virtue grow and impact the Abbey in significant ways,” Beeman said. “The culture has shifted due to his leadership and wisdom. I’ve witnessed his courage, and sometimes lone voice, on the national athletic stage in support of faith-based institutions.”
An Attitude of Gratitude
Another undeniable impression Thierfelder has made is in his quest to cultivate an attitude of gratitude each day. A tangible sign of this can be seen in the Gratitude Bell, “Holy Name,” which he had installed on campus in 2016 in front of the dining hall.
Students ring the bell daily at noon, signaling the praying of the Angelus, and all are welcome to pray around the Gratitude Bell. Anyone on campus is also welcome to ring the bell when they want to express gratitude for God’s blessings in their lives.
“Gratitude is an important virtue to me,” Thierfelder explained. “I can actually hear the bell in my office. Every single time it rings, it brings a smile to my face because I know that somebody is thanking God. If I had one thing to share with everybody, I’d say, ‘Today, commit that in every circumstance, you'll literally say it out loud, 'Thank you, Jesus!'”
Hannah Martin, a rising senior, has known Thierfelder for years, as two of her older brothers graduated from Belmont Abbey College. “Dr. Thierfelder has made such an impact with connecting the monastery to the school and having their presence be such an inspiration to students on campus, making sure we have good teachers that are always encouraging us and sports teams that gather in prayer before games or practice,” Martin explained. “Having those encouragements all around, whether you feel it or not, you are being pushed to grow and stretch and be the best student you can be in all aspects of your life. I’m grateful for this.”
Virtue in Action
Thierfelder, a Knight of Malta and an oblate of Belmont Abbey Monastery, has adopted the goal of “Excellence and Virtue,” aligned with St. Benedict’s desire that “In all things God may be glorified.”
This desire catapulted Belmont Abbey College into the national spotlight in 2011, when it became the first college in the United States to successfully sue the federal government over religious-liberty violations associated with the Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate.
Out of this battle emerged the concept for the Belmont House on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., where, since 2021, Catholics can collaborate with decision-makers to make a positive cultural impact on public policy.
“St. Benedict’s Rule begins with listening and hospitality,” said Abbot Placid Solari, chancellor of Belmont Abbey College. “A chapter in this Rule states that all guests be received as Christ. Under Bill’s leadership, Belmont House was created as a place for bringing people together at a center inspired by Catholic faith in the Benediction tradition to talk and to listen, and in particular, to stand up for religious liberty, both nationally and internationally.”
Ora et Labora
Thierfelder reflected on what he treasures most about his tenure at Belmont Abbey.
“I want to be clear that my greatest consolation since coming here 21 years ago is the people that have come. They’re incredibly talented — whether it’s faculty, staff, administrators, coaches, or whoever has come here,” he emphasized.
“The monks have done just such an extraordinary job of preserving this place. This is their apostolate. This is a 1,500-year tradition of the Benedictines. These monks live ora et labora [‘pray and work’], and this college is their work. This is how they love people. This is how they give back to God and sacrifice. Between the monastic community and the people that have come, that is why there’s so much good to talk about today,” he said.
Thierfelder’s wife, Mary, and their 10 children, have found a forever home at Belmont Abbey after giving countless hours to the college community.
“We didn’t look at it as work — we looked at it as a call, a vocation,” Mary Thierfelder said. “We’ve always prayed God’s will be accomplished in our marriage and our family. The Holy Spirit has guided us. Even now, when there is a transition, we rely on divine Providence.”
As Thierfelder winds down his time as president, he says, “I am trusting that God and his Blessed Mother will continue to watch over and protect this place and give it the grace to do what it’s been doing.”
In recognition of his service to Belmont Abbey College over the past 21 years, the college surprised him with an honorary doctorate May 17 during the 147th Commencement.
After a brief sabbatical, Thierfelder plans to return as a member of the faculty to continue to form Crusaders on and off the athletic fields. Provost Joseph Wysocki will serve as interim president while the college searches for Thierfelder’s successor.
“Serving as president of Belmont Abbey College has been the joy of a lifetime,” Thierfelder said upon the announcement of his retirement. “I have overwhelming gratitude to God for giving me this charge and the grace of the confidence to know that I am leaving the college a more secure, more stable, and more faithful place dedicated to his mission.”
SueAnn Howell, O.C.D.S., is an award-winning journalist who resides in Charlotte, N.C. A veteran of Catholic media, her work has appeared in national Catholic news outlets, diocesan and secular publications, as well as in Columbia magazine, the international publication of the Knights of Columbus. In addition to her editorial work, she serves as the communications director at MiraVia, a safe haven and source of hope for pregnant and parenting moms.