Independent Institution

The College of St. Scholastica has named Dr. Barbara McDonald as its 13th president. Since 2015, Dr. McDonald has been the president of North Hennepin Community College in the Twin Cities suburb of Brooklyn Park. Previously, she was interim president of Minnesota West Technical and Community College. Dr. McDonald earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Colorado Boulder, a master's degree in teaching English as a foreign language from American University in Cairo (Egypt) and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Minnesota. She will formally step into her new role on August 5th, 2019.  Read more here.

The Board of Trustees of St. John's University, with the support of the University’s senior leadership team, has appointed Dr. Simon Møller to serve as Provost and VPAA effective July 1, 2019.  Dr. Møller has been serving in this position in an interim capacity since July 1st of last year.  As interim Provost, he has been an exemplary partner and collegial member of the University’s senior leadership team. He is a distinguished and internationally known expert on neurodegenerative diseases particularly in the neuroscience of Parkinson’s disease.  While serving as interim Provost, he has continued to publish in highly respected journals and supervise an active research lab.  Dr. Møller has received international recognition for his contribution to the sciences and is an elected member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Technology.

St. John’s University has announced the appointment of Dr. David Bell as its new Dean of the School of Education. Dr. Bell will begin serving St. John’s later this summer. Dr. Bell currently serves as the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Accreditation at West Chester University in Pennsylvania where he oversees the daily operations of the College of Education and Social Work. Previously, Dr. Bell served as Associate Dean at Saint Xavier University-Chicago and was engaged as an Area-Wide Instructional Leader for the Illinois State Board of Education. Dr. Bell began his career as a public school teacher in Chicago. Dr. Bell earned his Ed.D. as well as his M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction at Loyola University at Chicago and earned his B.S. in Finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The Board of Trustees of the College of DuPage (COD) has appointed interim President, Dr. Brian Caputo, to serve as its 7th President.  Dr. Caputo officially becomes permanent president on July 1. Caputo previously served as the college's Vice President of Administrative Affairs and Treasurer. Prior to coming to COD, Dr. Caputo spent 19 years as Aurora’s chief financial officer and city treasurer. He earned his B.A. from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, his baster's from DePaul University, and a master’s and doctorate in public administration from Northern Illinois University. Read more here.

Schreiner University has announced the selection of Dr. Travis Frampton as its new Provost – or chief academic officer - and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Frampton will begin as Provost for Schreiner University on July 1st, 2019.  Dr. Frampton comes to Schreiner University from Hardin-Simmons University (HSU) in Abilene, TX, where he was Vice President for University Mission and Strategic Vision and Professor of Religion.  Dr. Frampton’s credentials include a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Samford University, a Master of Arts in Religion from Yale University, and a dual Ph.D. with a major in Philosophy from Erasmus University Rotterdam in The Netherlands and a major in Religion from Baylor University.  Read more here.

Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y., has announced the appointment of Mr. Joseph Valenti as their new Vice President for Institutional Advancement.  Mr. Valenti brings over 27 years of successful fundraising management experience to this position and most recently served as the Vice President for College Advancement at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY. Previously, he served as Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Mercy College and as Assistant Vice President for Advancement for Iona College. 

Thomas More University’s Board of Trustees has elected Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D. as the University’s 15th president. Dr. Chillo, who begins at TMU on June 1, has served as the president of Newbury College in Brookline, Massachusetts, since 2014.  He is also a professor of humanities and has taught first-year seminar and courses in American History. A first-generation college graduate, he earned his bachelor’s degree at Binghamton University, a Master of Public Administration at Long Island University, and a Doctor of Law and Policy at Northeastern University. Read more here.

Bethune-Cookman University has announced the appointment of Dr. E. La Brent Chrite as its next President. He will take office effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Chrite will be stepping down as dean at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business in June. He previously served as dean at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and has held leadership positions at the University of Arizona-Tucson and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Dr. Chrite is a native of Detroit, Michigan and completed his undergraduate work at Michigan State University, earned an M.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.  Read more here.

Des Moines University has announced the appointment of Dr. Steven Halm as the new Dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Since 2015, Dr. Halm has been serving as Assistant Dean and Chair of Simulation Medicine at Campbell University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. Concurrently, he is Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and the Faculty Advisor for the Campbell University Community Care Clinic (student-run free clinic). Prior to Campbell University, Dr. Halm was the Medical Director of the Clinical Evaluation Center (Simulation Center) and Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences for the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine. 

York College of Pennsylvania has announced the appointment of Dr. Charles MacVean as their founding Dean of the Kinsley School of Engineering, Science and Technology. Dr. Charles MacVean currently serves as the Dean of Sciences at Saint Francis University.