Messiah University names Jon C. Stuckey interim president

(April 16, 2025) -- The Messiah University Board of Trustees announced that it has named Jon C. Stuckey, Ph.D., as interim president of the University, effective July 1, 2025. Stuckey, Messiah’s vice president for advancement, was appointed on April 15 via a special vote of Messiah’s board and was invited by the trustees to lead the university until a permanent president is appointed.   

Stuckey’s appointment follows a March 24 anouncement from Messiah’s board that it had concluded the initial search phase for Messiah’s ninth president and was moving to an interim presidency. The board will communicate more about its plans for the ongoing presidential search at a later date. Stuckey succeeds President Kim S. Phipps, Ph.D., who publicly announced her retirement plans in June 2024, and whose contract officially concludes on June 30, 2025.

Read the news announcement

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. 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.

• Please pray for God's leading, wisdom and discernment for Messiah's board of trustees as they make decisions related to the next steps in the ongoing search process for Messiah's ninth president.
• We also invite you to pray for Messiah's interim president, Dr. Jon Stuckey, as he faithfully leads Messiah University through this important time of transition and continues to advance Messiah's distinctive Christ-centered educational mission.