President-Elect: Suzanne Blum Malley, PhD

The Board has named Suzanne Blum Malley, PhD, the University’s sixth president effective July 1, 2027.

Blum Malley brings more than 35 years of experience in higher education and a distinguished record of executive leadership at private, mission-driven institutions. After joining Methodist University in January 2020 from Columbia College Chicago, Blum Malley led MU’s academic enterprise into strategic advancements such as the University’s first fully online programs, better opportunities for transfer students, a revised general education curriculum with an innovative vocational discernment core, new degree program development, and the new medical school. Improvements in student opportunity and success have been transformative: Undergraduate retention, graduation rates, and non-traditional enrollment are climbing, and graduate professional programs are thriving.

Blum Malley has delivered an ambitious call for sustained growth and innovation that anchors Methodist University’s core mission while bolstering reach and relevance, and as a leader she is dedicated to educating students with a sense of purpose and ethical service to the world around them and the flexibility and creative problem-solving skills fostered by the humanities and sciences that empower leaders as we adapt traditions for a changed world.

A first-generation college graduate herself, Blum Malley is a lifelong champion of accessible, values-centered education. Her academic career reflects an unwavering commitment and demonstrated execution of teaching-focused, student-centered institutions. Her scholarship also centers on student access and opportunity, with a focus on multilingual literacies and engaging learning environments.