The civilian and military careers, the accomplishments, and the accolades that have unfolded since then have continually proven Dr. Talley not only a man of unparalleled determination and energy but also someone who takes personal discernment seriously, who holds himself accountable, and who never rests on his (considerable) laurels.

Today, Jeff Talley is a retired three-star general of the U.S Army with half a dozen advanced degrees across Engineering, Liberal Arts, Religious Studies, and Business, not to mention years of executive and entrepreneurial experience with international responsibilities in the millions of dollars. Over the course of his academic career, he has been a tenured faculty member at the University of Notre Dame, an Advanced Leadership Fellow and Scholar-in-Residence at Harvard University, and held a number of academic appointments at elite colleges and universities across the country. A recipient of three bronze stars, he served for a total of 34 years in both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve, retiring in 2016 as the 32nd Chief of Army Reserve & Commanding General of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. He and his wife Linda have been married for over 40 years, and they now have four children and ten grandchildren.

At every stage of his life and career, Talley has aimed for excellence and worked tirelessly to achieve it, even when others informed him that he didn’t have what it takes. A demanding liberal arts professor once joked during a graduate course at Washington University in St. Louis that Talley must be “unfamiliar with the English language.” Another laughed when Talley decided to pursue an advanced engineering degree. But everyone, with varying degrees of grace, had to face the reality eventually: that not much could dampen or divert Talley’s determination, loyalty, and clarity of purpose, not when he consistently held himself so unflinchingly accountable.

In fact, throughout his personal and professional life, Dr. Talley’s pursuit of excellence has remained an integrating force that drives him to question and search, to earnestly weigh his beliefs and goals, and to face the truth as straightforwardly as possible. As a young man, when he realized how little he knew about his Methodist faith, Talley sought out ministers and priests to help him examine and inform his understanding, ultimately finding truth in the Catholic Church after prayer, study, and spiritual direction. However, his discernment, far from ending there, continued to draw him further along a path of personal growth, leading him to become a third-order Benedictine, or Oblate, and to integrate the discipline of this calling into his ongoing response to other callings, across his personal life and his scholarly, business, and military careers.

Now, as President of Belmont Abbey College, Talley’s vision for this nearly 150-year-old institution reflects the same clear and dedicated vision and the same commitment to excellence by which he has lived his own life. His priorities will center on strengthening our rigorous academics, rooted in faith and dedicated to growth in leadership.

“We have a unique opportunity,” Talley urges the Belmont Abbey College community, “to help young men and women get a rigorous academic experience in a faith-filled environment that’s strong in its Catholic identity so they can go forth in a world that’s become so challenging, so complex, so difficult. Leaders who are balanced both morally and professionally are in greater need than ever before. For this purpose, Belmont Abbey College exists. I thank God for the opportunity to become part of the Belmont Abbey College family, where together we can bear the light of Christ in the world today.”

A convicting sense of vocation undergirds everything Dr. Talley has achieved over the course of his personal and professional life, and today it powerfully informs his vision for the future of Belmont Abbey. His own progress through a “challenging, complex, difficult” world has seen the benefit of rootedness in faith. And now, by the grace of God, his scholarly dedication, commitment to service, and faithful leadership will bring to this new era of Abbey history a vision that both cherishes our rich institutional past and aspires to an even brighter future.

As the Abbey prepares with gratitude to celebrate its 150th anniversary, the BAC community welcomes Dr. Talley as the 21st President of Belmont Abbey College, ready to build toward new levels of faith, scholarship, and leadership together, that in all things God may be glorified.