Hired
Neil MacKinnon – Central Michigan University
Neil MacKinnon will become Central Michigan University’s 16th president on Nov. 1. He joins from Augusta University in Georgia.
At Augusta, Mackinnon held an “expanded provost’s position” over three and a half years in which he helped develop and implement the public research university’s strategic plan and oversaw its success and belonging programs, enrollment and other metrics, according to a press release. Central Michigan credits MacKinnon’s for helping boost Augusta’s enrollment and research funding.
Vernon B. Harper Jr. – California State University, Bakersfield
The California State University Board of Trustees has elevated Vernon B. Harper Jr. to the permanent president position at Bakersfield after having served as interim since Dec. 2023. He’s only the sixth president to serve in a permanent capacity, according to a news release.
The Cal State community has lauded Harper for various initiatives enhancing K12 and two-year student pipelines, particularly for Black students. The Umoja Black Student Success Transfer Program was created in partnership with Bakersfield College to drive higher upward transfer rates of its students of African American descent. Additionally, the president is credited for jumpstarting Bakersfield’s pre-application program for middle and high school students.
Marshall Roache – Oregon Coast Community College
Oregon Coast Community College found its next president in a former college wrestler and coach, retail store manager and police officer: Marshall Roach, YachatsNews reports. His career as a higher education professor began in 2011, and his first role in a leadership and administration position began in 2015.
Retiring
Gregory G. Dell’Omo – Rider University (N.J.)
Gregory Dell’Omo will conclude his 10-year tenure as president of Rider University at the end of the academic year. He has served as a university president for the last 20 years counting his leadership at Robert Morris University.
The Board of Trustees has lauded Dell’Omo for his commitment to campus improvement projects, raising endowment and student scholarship packages and expanding its academic portfolio. One of his last tasks at the helm of Rider will be completing its $100 million comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Dell’Omo survived a no-confidence vote in 2022 after the university’s AAUP chapter raised “serious concerns” over Rider’s “weakening” financial condition, declining student enrollment and faltering reputation, Patch reports.
Bob Jackson – Murray State University (Ky.)
Bob Jackson caps off his illustrious career in higher education after announcing his plans to retire at the end of the academic year from Murray State University, his alma mater. He will have served as Murray’s president for seven years, counting his first year as interim leader beginning in 2018.
Murray State has regularly enjoyed healthy freshman enrollment numbers under Jackson’s leadership. This fall marks its fourth-largest ever and second-largest of the past decade, Murray Ledger & Times reports. Jackson has also committed to renovating, designing and constructing new academic buildings across campus for its school of health and veterinary sciences, as well as a new residential hall and study space.
Before his role as president, Jackson served as the leader of Murray’s fundraising foundation and as the state’s Democratic senator.
Stepping down
Ronald Liebowitz – Brandeis University (Mass.)
Ronald Liebowitz is stepping down from Brandeis University following narrow consensus from faculty to cast a vote of no confidence, The New York Times reports. Faculty who voted against Liebowitz blamed him for Brandeis’ 9% enrollment decline in five years, lack of a comprehensive capital campaign throughout his tenure, budget shortfalls and “excessive” response to pro-Palestinian protests.
“[T]his is a valuable moment for me and [my wife] to build on our experiences to create new pathways for innovation and reform in higher education, and I resign knowing that the university will be in good hands,” Liebowitz wrote in his letter to the university community.
