HOUSTON — We've learned more about what led to the sudden resignation of the University of St. Thomas Cameron School of Business dean.
The university on Wednesday confirmed they accepted Mario Enzler’s resignation last Friday, but did not give a reason. That changed on Thursday when the university released this updated statement:
"Over recent days, there has been much attention surrounding the resignation of the dean of the Cameron School of Business, Mario Enzler.
"Serious questions surrounding his leadership and credentials were officially raised over the summer by the faculty, and a thorough review was conducted. The University was unable to confirm his credentials, at which point Mario Enzler was given every opportunity to confirm those credentials himself. He did not sufficiently confirm them, and he chose to resign.
"We are also reviewing the hiring process, and that review will be completed in a prompt and orderly way. Right now is a time to focus on healing our community and on the future direction of the Cameron School of Business. This is an opportunity to fix any problems that may come to light with the process and to chart a bright new future for the business school."
We spoke to one of the professors who first raised questions about Enzler's resume and experience. Dr. John Simms said he and his colleagues suspected something was off as soon as Enzler was hired in 2020.
"Each one of us has 10-30 years of professional experience. We know what right and wrong is," Simms said. "A number of people felt something was very desperately wrong."
The accounting professor still can’t believe what they discovered when they started digging.
"My brain was exploding at that point," said Simms.
Simms said the Italian university where Enzler supposedly earned a doctorate doesn’t even offer PhDs. The college he listed for his bachelor’s degree is actually a high school. Simms said the information their detective work uncovered was taken to St. Thomas administrators.
KHOU 11 obtained a copy of the letter faculty sent to the university board in April.
"It’s important to go public because nothing was getting done internally. This is the last result and it's not a pleasure to have to do this," Simms said. "Our very existence as a business school is based on our credibility."
Simms says he and other faculty members want to know why it took 4 months to get to this point.
"Mario Enzler was the symptom of a deeper systemic problem of the way processes are conducted. Do they follow policy or do they violate policy and get away with it," said Simms.
Mario Enzler also boasts of an impressive history with the Catholic Church, which he documented in his book, "I Served a Saint." We found a video of him speaking in Charlotte about his time in the Swiss Guard, serving Pope John Paul the second.
"I had the pleasure also to meet another St. Mother Theresa," Enzler said.
KHOU 11 is trying to verify those claims.
Enzler's references include three cardinals, including Cardinal DiNardo with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, along with an archbishop and a bishop.
Enzler's previous employer, The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. sent a statement:
"I can confirm that Mario Enzler was hired based on his experience in the finance industry for the position of assistant professor of practice. He was employed by our University from August 2016 through August 2020."
We have reached out to Enzler to hear his side of the story, but have yet to hear back.