Mars Hill University President Dan Lunsford announced today
that he will retire next year from the position he's held for 15 years. The
exact timing of his retirement will depend on the completion of a successful
search for a new university president, but Lunsford said it will be in the
first half of 2018.
Lunsford became president on an interim basis in January 2002,
following the resignation of the late Max Lennon. The board of trustees of what
was then Mars Hill College made the position permanent in May 2003.
In announcing his retirement plans, Lunsford thanked the
students, staff, and faculty for their efforts over his tenure as president. He
also thanked the trustee board, which he described as "incredibly
supportive." Lunsford said his promise to the board, when he accepted the
position, was that, "whenever I finished my tenure, that Mars Hill would
be stronger than when I began. I believe that we have achieved that
promise." He promised that in his remaining months in the presidency he "will
remain as active and engaged in the life of the institution as I have been from
'Day One.'"
Wayne Higgins, current chair of the trustee board and a member
of that board when Lunsford became president, said Lunsford's "passion for
and dedication to Mars Hill is widely recognized by the entire campus and
greater community." Higgins called him "truly a visionary and
academic leader," adding, "Dr. Lunsford will be tremendously missed
at Mars Hill University but we know he will continue to be very supportive and
engaged with the university."
Lunsford’s tenure at Mars Hill University has been marked by
growth in many areas, fitting the theme of his presidency: Preserving the Past,
Assuring the Future. Under Lunsford the school transitioned from a college to a
university in 2013; completed its first comprehensive capital campaign (and is
in the final stages of its second); saw the largest building boom in campus
facilities since the 1970s (with the addition of three new residence halls and
three new classroom and laboratory buildings, as well as the building and
renovation of several athletic facilities); established the Asheville Center
for Adult and Graduate Studies in south Asheville; added a large portion of the
campus to the National Register of Historic Places; strengthened and added academic
programs (including an Honors Program, master’s degrees in elementary education
and in management, and a nursing school); and increased funding for
scholarships and other financial aid for students.
Lunsford is a 1969 graduate of Mars Hill College, earned his
graduate degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and
participated in postdoctoral study at Vanderbilt University and the UNC-Chapel
Hill Institute of Government. He began his career as a 6th grade teacher in
Durham, N.C.; was a principal, director of instruction, associate
superintendent, and assistant superintendent for Orange County Schools before
serving that district as superintendent from 1983-1990; and was superintendent of
Henderson County Public Schools from 1990-1998. He began his employment at Mars
Hill in 1998 as dean of the School of Education and Leadership.
Dr. Lunsford maintains strong involvement in community and
professional organizations, including the South Atlantic Conference,
Appalachian College Association, and NC Independent Colleges and Universities.
He and his wife, Beverly, are active in the life of the university and the town
of Mars Hill.
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