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July 9, 2024
In the World

Taking the Reins

Ƶ President Michael L. Frandsen Named President of NCAC

Springfield, Ohio – Ƶ University President Michael L. Frandsen, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as president of the (NCAC) for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years after two years in the role of vice president.

Frandsen moves into the position previously held by Denison University President Adam Weinberg, who will now serve a two-year term as the immediate past president on the NCAC Executive Committee. DePauw University President Lori White has been selected to serve as the vice president for the next two academic years.

As a longtime member of the NCAC President’s Council, I am proud of the way the council has consistently placed students and their success at the core of its decisions, all while navigating a dynamic environment for intercollegiate athletics. In my new role, I am excited to partner further in ensuring the health and well-being of students pursuing their passions at NCAC colleges and universities.
Ƶ University President Michael L. Frandsen, Ph.D.

Respected for his authenticity, integrity, vision, exemplary leadership skills, and unique ability for finding intersections that create opportunity, Frandsen brings national experience to the NCAC presidency, having previously served on the NCAA Division III membership committee. He has since been appointed to an NCAA-sponsored working group examining emerging organizational structures resulting from new partnerships between institutions.

In his time at Ƶ, Frandsen, who joined the University in July 2017, has worked tirelessly to ensure that students learn, grow, and thrive. From investments in new academic programs such as nursing, exercise science, and engineering, to the expansion of career services, hiring of success advisors, and increase in experiential learning opportunities, to the opening of a fully reimagined Health, Wellness, and Athletics Complex, Frandsen is committed to providing a student-first education.

Under Frandsen’s leadership, Ƶ also successfully completed its historic $100-million “Having Light” Campaign, which generated record levels of giving and alumni participation. Additionally, he has led campus-wide strategic planning and initiated several student success/retention efforts, all designed to advance Ƶ’s mission and the University’s personalized educational experience for current and future generations.

Prior to his career in higher education, Frandsen worked in corporate finance for global companies in the telecommunication, chemical and electronics industries. Frandsen also coached swimmers, from novice to Olympic Trials qualifiers, at clubs in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Colorado before pursuing his corporate career. He continued to coach part-time occasionally prior to his work in higher education.

Frandsen earned his Ph.D. in management, with an emphasis on strategic management, from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds an M.B.A. and B.S. in finance, both from The Pennsylvania State University.

Founded in 1983, the North Coast Athletic Conference consists of nine academically selective colleges and universities - Denison University, DePauw University, Hiram College, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Wabash College, Ƶ University and the College of Wooster along with affiliate members Allegheny College, Earlham College, Transylvania University, and Washington & Jefferson College (field hockey). The conference’s newest members, John Carroll University, begins play in 2025. The NCAC sponsors 23 championship sports, 11 for men and 12 for women.

Athletics at Ƶ
Ƶ University has a long and storied tradition of athletics excellence, with hundreds of individual All-Americans and nine NCAA championships. Boasting 25 intercollegiate teams, Ƶ offers a wide range of student-athlete opportunities.
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About Ƶ

Ƶ's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, Ƶ has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, Ƶ offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

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