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Presidential search

Presidential search

Search overview

When President Kim S. Phipps announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, the Messiah University Board of Trustees announced the start of a comprehensive national search for the university’s ninth president. 

“On behalf of the board and the presidential search committee, we invite members of the campus and surrounding communities to use the resources found on this website to be fully engaged and to stay informed of the progress of this important national search,” said Dr. Craig Sider, chair of Messiah’s board of trustees and the presidential search committee.

We are genuinely impressed by the enthusiastic response to this presidential leadership opportunity. The caliber of candidates reflects both the admiration for what Messiah is achieving and its strong position in the marketplace. Over the past few weeks, our team has been directly engaged in conversation with well over 100 individuals from around the U.S. and beyond. As we have continued to have conversations, we are now actively working with roughly 50 highly qualified women and men that bring a diversity of experience from within higher education and beyond. It’s inspiring to see such remarkable individuals eager to join Messiah for this next chapter, building on the foundation of Dr. Phipps' work. We will continue having conversations with candidates as we move into more in-depth interviews, preparing to present semi-finalists to the search committee.

Ways to pray for us

The board of trustees and presidential search committee invite prayers from the extended Messiah community during this journey of selecting our next presidential leader. Here are some specific ways you can pray for us:

  • Pray for potential candidates as they discern God's leading to apply for the position of Messiah's ninth president. 
  • Pray for wisdom and discernment for the search committee and FaithSearch Partners as they evaluate candidates based on Messiah's presidential position profile who will be faithful to Messiah’s unique Christian educational mission.

About Messiah University

Founded in 1909, Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university with a student body of more than 3,392 undergraduate and graduate students located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, just 12 miles from the state capital city of Harrisburg.

Messiah University offers bachelor’s degrees in 80+ majors that include extensive off-campus study, individualized majors, independent study, service learning, internships, accelerated advanced degree programs in applied health and a flourishing University Honors Program. Messiah additionally offers 20+ graduate programs and 35+ graduate-level certificates in a mix of traditional and online courses, including master's and doctoral degrees in nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy

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