Manhattanville College Appoints New President

The Board of Trustees of Manhattanville College announced their unanimous decision to appoint Dr. Michael Geisler as its 13th President.

Dr Geisler is Vice President for Risk and Compliance, Professor of German, and former V.P. for the Language Schools and Schools Abroad at Middlebury College. He will begin his duties on July 1, 2016, following the retirement of Dr. Jon C. Strauss.

After serving for five years, Strauss is being recognized for increasing financial stability, building institutional capacity, and developing new academic programs at Manhattanville, according to a release.

Marcia Pearce Dewitt, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees announced the appointment. “The Board and the Search Committee are strongly united that we’ve found in Dr. Geisler a most inspirational, thoughtful and collaborative leader who comes with strong academic credentials, entrepreneurial and fiscal sensibilities, new business development and fundraising expertise. Geisler is clearly a person of vision who embodies the qualities and talents we seek in our next president.”

Geisler served as C.V. Starr Professor in Linguistics and Languages, established two new Language Schools in Hebrew and Korean, graduate programs in Arabic, Chinese and Hebrew, and 22 new sites for Middlebury’s C.V. Starr Schools abroad. Under his leadership, the Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference launched two major new Writers’ Conferences focusing on environmental writing and on translation.

Middlebury College President Laurie Patton said, “We are thrilled for Michael, as he embarks on this new journey. Manhattanville College is fortunate to have found both a brilliant educator and a seasoned administrator to lead their institution.

Upon learning of his appointment, Geisler said, “It is an honor to be chosen as President of Manhattanville College and to join an institution with a proven commitment to building community through education, and to acquiring wisdom through social and political engagement. Our cities, our nations and, indeed the world, are in urgent need of the bedrock values and civil courage exemplified by former Manhattanville President Mother Grace Cowardin Dammann, RSCJ. In her prophetic 1938 address ‘Principles vs Prejudice’, she articulated a powerful call for a pragmatic ethic that distinguishes the College to this day. I see this distinctive legacy as both an obligation and an opportunity for Manhattanville to reaffirm its position of leadership during the next decade.”