Hired
Rev. John Butler – Boston College (Mass.)
Boston College has announced its next president, the Rev. John Butler, who has been involved with administrative leadership since 2010.
Serving on the president’s senior leadership team since 2010, Boston College considers Butler an architect of its revamped core curriculum. He routinely partnered with the provost and vice president of student affairs. He has also served on search committees for all senior administrator positions over the past 15 years.
Vice president of Boston College’s ministry school, Butler is responsible for all programs and initiatives that promote the private school’s Jesuit Catholic mission and culture. He will assume the role in summer 2026 once Boston College’s current president, William Leahy, steps down.
Wendy Elmore – Lamar State College Orange (Texas)
Lamar State College Orange, a community college part of the Texas State University System, has announced it will promote Wendy Elmore to its president, Beaumont Enterprise reports. Elmore currently serves as executive vice president and provost, a position she’s held since April 2020. She begins her new position in June.
More from UB: Computer science degrees: How demand has both reduced and improved
Adam Hasner – Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University has finally found its next president in Adam Hasner following a lengthy search that began in January 2023.
Hasner is a former Florida Republican lawmaker who served two terms as House Majority Leader and is the current executive vice president at the GEO Group, a for-profit prison company.
The former lawmaker has ties to Florida Atlantic, serving on the dean’s advisory board for its business school and helping secure $43 million in funding for the engineering college’s building.
Florida Atlantic suspended its college search in July 2023 after the state university system’s chancellor suspected its process of running afoul of state regulations for implementing a straw poll and a “potentially illegal” questionnaire regarding applicants’ sexual orientation.
Daniel Shipp – Maryville University (Mo.)
Daniel Shipp will soon be stepping out of his role as president of Pittsburgh State University after accepting the role at Maryville University, effective in June.
Shipp was selected by the board of trustees for his “commitment to innovation, technology-driven learning and student success,” according to a university statement.
Pittsburgh State became the first university in Kansas to automatically award associate degrees to students who completed all general education requirements required for a bachelor’s degree, KZRG reports. He also reduced student healthcare costs and redirected student fees to other priorities, including campus wellness programs.
Genry Sutton – Warner University (Fla.)
The board of trustees at Warner University has promoted Genry Sutton to president, The Ledger reports. Sutton has served as an administrator at the private Christian university since 2019 and last served as executive vice president and vice president of advancement.
Jermaine Whirl – Savannah State University (Ga.)
Savannah State University has found a new president in Jermaine Whirl, who has headed Augusta Technical College since November 2020. In his four years at Augusta, Whirl oversaw a 20% headcount increase and has secured strategic partnerships with multiple postsecondary institutions, the city of Augusta and Amazon.
Retiring
Ed Dadez – Saint Leo University (Fla.)
Ed Dadez retired from Saint Leo University after two and a half years on the job, citing “personal reasons,” according to a university announcement. The Catholic Benedictine university credited him for helping increase student retention rates, exceed annual fundraising goals and strengthen new and returning student enrollment.
Dadez’s career in higher education spanned 25 years.
David J. Fike – Golden Gate University (Calif.)
David Fike is set to retire from his role as president of Golden Gate University on June 30, concluding a 10-year tenure. The board of trustees credit Fike for helping fundraise $35 million, establishing a student support center for military veterans and providing fiscal expertise through the pandemic, according to a press release.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that the president was tied to an open lawsuit filed last fall alleging the university mismanaged program funding for its juris doctor program, which was facing closure. However, the lawsuit was originally filed in February 2024, the JD program closed last May and the case was dismissed in December, according to the university’s legal team.)
David Schecter – East Georgia State College
David Schecter is retiring from his role as president of East Georgia State College to begin a new chapter of his life closer to friends and family in Florida, WRDW reports. He will complete a three-and-a-half-year tenure once he officially retires at the end of the summer term.
