Stephen C. MacDonald, President, 2004-Present

The Lebanon Valley College Board of Trustees named Dr. Stephen C. MacDonald the College’s 17th president on October 8, 2004. MacDonald had been LVC’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty since 1998 and served as acting president since May 2004.

The College has experienced tremendous growth—including a record number of applications for the fall 2011 freshman class—under MacDonald’s leadership. During his tenure, MacDonald worked with College faculty to help initiate several new academic programs that contributed to enrollment growth and increased the academic recognition of the College; working with the administration, trustees, and alumni, led the College in surpassing the $50 million Great Expectations Campaign goal ($55,400,000); and, guided the renovation and revitalization of existing facilities and the building of new facilities for several academic, athletic, and social centers around campus.

During the 2011–2012 academic year, MacDonald will bring two major projects to conclusion: the completion of the 10-year reaccreditation by the Commission of Higher Education of the Middle States Association and the completion of the $13.3 million renovation and addition of the Mund College Center, a new centerpiece for campus life. In addition to these projects, MacDonald’s presidency has been marked by numerous campus improvements even during a time of great economic uncertainty in the world.

Between 2005 and 2008, Lynch Memorial Hall was transformed from an academic and athletic center into an advanced technology teaching and learning center; in 2006, the College graduated its first class of students from the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program; in 2007, the Great Expectations Campaign exceeded its $50 million goal by $5+ million; in 2008, the Neidig-Garber Science Center underwent an $18 million revitalization; in 2009, the Administration Building/Humanities Center received a $2.3 million exterior restoration to preserve the historical accuracy of the iconic building and Stanson Hall was built as a new student residence; and, in 2010, men’s and women’s lacrosse were added to the College’s intercollegiate athletics program.

Preparing for the future of the College, MacDonald oversaw the development of a campus Master Plan (2008); completion of a strategic plan (2009); adoption of a second strategic plan to guide the College through 2016; established a new office of marketing and communications; and established new admission and retention efforts to place the College on firm and productive grounds.

As vice president and dean, MacDonald worked with College faculty and the former president to help initiate several new academic programs. Most notably, he oversaw the creation of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program with physical therapy faculty as they guided the new program to full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. He also introduced the College’s First-Year Seminar Program (2002), and was integral in the adoption of the Digital Communications Program (2001) and the introduction of the principle of peer review in the tenure and promotion system at the College (2004).

As president, MacDonald has served academia and the community in numerous roles. He is on the board of directors of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. He chairs the executive committee of the Middle Atlantic Conferences. In spring 2011, he completed a four-year term as a member of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education where he served for the past two years as vice chair of the Physical Therapy Panel. He worked diligently in Annville to improve town-gown relations by becoming a member of several community organizations, reestablishing the College’s connection to events such as the Annville Memorial Day Parade, and regularly approving the commitment of funds for the betterment of Annville’s downtown businesses.

Prior to LVC, MacDonald served as associate dean of Dickinson College and director of the Central Pennsylvania Consortium, and he taught history at Lynchburg College in Virginia and the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

MacDonald is a magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa history graduate from Tufts University and earned a doctorate in modern history from the University of Virginia. His areas of interest and expertise include modern European and modern German history.

He is married to Mary Warner, a journalist who retired in 2008 after 24 years as a reporter with the Patriot News. Their son, John MacDonald, a graduate of Oberlin College and New York University, lives in Manhattan and works as an assistant editor for the New York Times syndicate.