Independent Institution

The California Western School of Law has appointed Ms. Sean Megan Scott to serve as its next president and dean, effective August 1, 2020. The appointment is the latest of Scott’s many leadership positions in the legal academy. She most recently served as associate director of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the largest and most prestigious legal academic society in the United States. In that role, she was charged with promoting AALS programs that furthered the association’s core values of improving legal education, promoting diversity, and advocating for justice. From 2008 to 2016, Scott served as senior associate dean and associate dean for faculty at LMU Loyola Law School in Los Angeles (LLS), where she established the school’s Master of Science in Legal Studies (MLS) program. Scott currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) and is a past member of the Board of Directors of the California Women’s Law Center. Before joining academia, Scott was an associate in the Los Angeles office of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. She earned her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.  Read more here.

Grand View University has selected Christopher Lee as their new Vice President for Administration and Finance. Mr. Lee is currently the Vice President for Administration and Finance at Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. Mr. Lee brings an impressive resume of skills and talents to this position having spent the last 16 years in higher education combined with ten years of public company management experience.

Ave Maria University has completed their presidential search with the appointment of Christopher Ice as the University’s third president. Mr. Ice comes to the University with a deep passion for Catholic, liberal arts education, many years of experience as an executive in the corporate and private sectors as well as Catholic non-profit organizations, with an impressive background of fundraising in Catholic higher education at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He currently serves as chief executive officer of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph (Missouri), a position he has held since 2017. He will begin his presidency on January 1, 2020. Read more here.

Centenary University Board of Trustees has appointed Bruce Murphy, Ed.D., as the University’s 14th president. Dr. Murphy will begin his tenure at Centenary on Jan. 1, 2020.  Dr. Murphy is currently a consultant with the Registry for College and University Presidents, an organization that fosters the placement of interim presidents at institutions in transition. He was the fifth president of Nicholls State University in Louisiana and was also a professor of educational leadership there.  A U.S. Army veteran, Dr. Murphy retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He taught leadership courses at West Point and was vice president for academic affairs at the U.S. Air Force’s Air University in Alabama. Dr. Murphy’s higher education career has also included teaching posts at Vanderbilt University and Mercyhurst College, where he was the founding director of the Master of Science in organizational leadership program and chair of the Walker School of Business. In addition, he was the founding dean of the School of Business and professor of management at Point Park University. Dr. Murphy earned a doctorate in educational leadership from Vanderbilt University, master’s degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University and the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Read more here.

Saint Xavier University welcomes Dr. Mark S. Rosenbaum as the next Dean of the Graham School of Management. He will officially join SXU on January 6, 2020. Dr. Rosenbaum comes to Saint Xavier University from the University of South Carolina, where he serves as professor and chair of the Department of Retailing. Dr. Rosenbaum joined the faculty at the University of South Carolina in 2017. Prior to that, he was the Kohl's Professor of Retailing at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Dr. Rosenbaum is a three-time Fulbright recipient. He received his B.S. from Indiana University, MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, M.A. from New York University, M.S. from San Diego State University and Ph.D. from Arizona State University.

The George Washington University has announced the appointment of Dr. M. Brian Blake as the new Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Blake assumed his role in November 2019.

Barry University has selected Bernadine Douglas as their new Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Since 2015, Ms. Douglas has served as the Vice President for Alumni and College Relations at Berea College and has lead the institution through four years of consecutive fundraising growth. Prior to joining Berea, she served for seven years at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach as Associate Vice-President and Vice-President of External Relations.  Read more here.

Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, has selected Dr. Andrew Jones as their new Vice President of Campus Life and Dean of Students. Dr. Jones is currently the Associate Provost and Dean of Student Success at Illinois College. Dr. Jones brings an impressive resume of skills and talents to this position having spent the last 15 years focused on academic performance, the student experience and student success. 

Sarah Lawrence College has annouced the appointment of Ms. Fatiah Touray, Esq. as the new Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Special Assistant to the President.  Previously, Ms. Touray served as Assistant Dean for Diversity and International Students at New York University.  Read more here.

Rider University  has annouced the appointment of Mr. Douglas McCrea as its new Associate Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. The chief information officer position has been elevated to a Cabinet position. Mr. McCrea comes to Rider after 19 years at Rutgers University, where he served in various IT roles with increasing responsibility. He most recently served as the Senior Director of Information Technology at the New Brunswick campus, where he provided both IT management and strategy, and orchestrated IT governance and cybersecurity implementation. Mr. McCrea Doug is an IT thought leader, communicator and innovator with the ability to translate technology and concepts.