Messiah's board of trustees proceeds with new presidential search
Following its annual fall board meeting on Oct. 16-17, 2025, the Messiah University Board of Trustees informed students and employees that it is launching a new search process for the University's next president. The board announced that it is in process of selecting a new search firm partner, will be naming a new search committee in the near future, and anticipates beginning to review candidates in early 2026.
Board Chair Rod Musser also recognized the current leadership of Interim President Jon Stuckey: "It’s important to note the board’s support of Dr. Stuckey as the President of the Interim; we deeply appreciate Jon’s leadership and his dedication to Messiah."
Goals for the search
"As we look to the year ahead, the presidential search remains a top priority for the board," said Musser. "Building on the work that was done last year, and carefully evaluating lessons learned, the board confirmed at its annual fall meeting that we are proceeding with a new search. Our goal is to ensure that the Messiah community and the board have full confidence that:
- a thorough search process was conducted;
- all candidates (internal and external) were evaluated fairly and completely; and
- as a result of this process, the best candidate was chosen to be Messiah’s next
president."
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. The board launched an initial search in August 2024, which concluded in March 2025, resulting in the board's appointment of Dr. Jon C. Stuckey as interim president in April 2025.
With the launch on this new search, 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 as this important national search progresses.
