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.
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 current and specific ways you can pray for us:
- Pray for the upcoming campus listening sessions—that the campus community will thoughtfully communicate their hearts and minds for Messiah’s future, and that the search committee will be open to perspectives different from their own.
- Pray for wisdom and discernment in taking what is learned from the listening sessions to create a presidential profile that will be faithful to Messiah’s unique Christian educational mission
Messiah University profile
Founded in 1909, Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university with a student body of more than 3,320 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