LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Marymount California University’s chairman of the board, Burt Arnold, on behalf of the university's board of trustees, announced the appointment of Lucas Lamadrid, Ph.D., a veteran administrator with 20 years of experience in Catholic higher education, as the seventh president of Marymount California University.
Dr. Lamadrid begins with the university on April 1.
He is due to visit the university's Lakeside Campus in Lucerne in May, officials reported.
“Marymount California University has a tradition of honoring the core values set forth in the institution’s mission,” said Arnold. “Dr. Lamadrid will serve the MCU community ethically, and with a high degree of integrity, in a kind-spirited way.”
Board member Juan Yñiguez chaired the search committee, comprised of faculty, staff, board members, students and alumni, and noted the depth and talent of the field of candidates.
"Dr. Lamadrid was selected as our president from a very committed and talented pool of educators,” said Yñiguez. “I believe that he has the right combination of skills, experience and passion for Catholic higher education to lead MCU for many years to come."
In his most recent role, Lamadrid served as a senior executive managing the higher education division of a private company that specializes in the recruitment of international students.
Prior to his entering the private sector, he served as vice president for enrollment and student affairs at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina, and as vice president and chief student officer at Saint Vincent College, in Latrobe, Penn.
As a senior administrator at both institutions, Lamadrid achieved historically high student enrollment; improved the academic quality of the student body; increased student retention; raised significant funds for the improvement of student life; and recorded high levels of student satisfaction.
Michael James, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education, has known Lamadrid for three decades.
"Dr. Lamadrid has both breadth and depth in higher education and knows intimately its highly competitive landscape, in particular the challenges and opportunities that face Catholic institutions,” James said. “He is committed to the same mission and values that stand at the core of Marymount California University, and he will articulate a vision for the university that focuses on its significant service to the community."
Lamadrid, in his acceptance of the position, stated that he is deeply honored and humbled to be selected as the seventh president of Marymount California University.
“I have visited, spoken with and consulted for more than 200 colleges and universities in the last two years and never before witnessed the single-minded devotion of faculty and staff to individual student success that I have seen at Marymount,” Lamadrid said. “I believe this devotion and care springs from the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, who founded the university and who continue to be its inspiration. The motto for the RSHM is 'to serve so that all may have life and have it to the full.' MCU honors that commitment by offering a life-changing educational experience for its students, and I will be faithful to that heritage in my role as president."
Lamadrid received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and English at Marquette University, a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate from the Graduate Program in Religion at Duke University.
He began his career at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, where he served as assistant dean of students and taught in the philosophy, theology, and communications departments.
While at Bellarmine, he developed a new course on religion in film that was highly popular, grew the residential population by 44 percent and raised substantial funds for a student leadership program.
He has published articles in Modern Theology and The Heythrop Journal; edited a book for Oxford University Press; and written and presented on collaboration between academic and student affairs, the first-year student experience, the role of parents of college students and the value of Catholic higher education.
Lamadrid is married to Beth Kreitzer, Ph.D., an expert on 16th century history, who grew up in Porterville, Calif., and attended Stanford University for her undergraduate studies.
They have three children – Claire, 18, Grace, 15, and John Carlos, 11 – and are currently active parishioners in Queen of Apostles Catholic Church in Belmont, North Carolina. His family will join him in California in June.
Marymount California University announces new president
- Lake County News reports
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