MIDLAND, Mich., April 18, 2019 /CNW/ -- Northwood University's Board of Trustees has appointed Dr. Kent D. MacDonald the 5^th president of the 60-year-old university focused on business leadership. MacDonald will succeed Keith A. Pretty, who will retire after 13 years as president.

"President Pretty's outstanding service and leadership is leaving Northwood well positioned for future success," said Al Zehnder, chairman of Northwood University's Board of Trustees. "Based on President MacDonald's stellar credentials, entrepreneurial spirit and prior successes, the Board has full confidence that he will ensure the continuation and acceleration of Northwood's upward trajectory."

MacDonald joins Northwood from St. Francis Xavier University, one of Canada's most respected and historic universities, where he has served as President and Vice Chancellor since 2014. During his tenure, MacDonald led efforts to engage the full university community in the development of a new five-year strategic plan. He also initiated large fundraising campaigns that helped the university further enhance academic excellence and improve student enrollment and retention. Dr. MacDonald is a highly visible leader on campus who engages locally and nationally with a variety of committees and organizations.

While his path to higher education leadership started in the classroom as a teacher in Canada and New Zealand, MacDonald has also led private sector and not-for-profit organizations in Ontario.  Prior to his current role at St. Francis Xavier University, MacDonald served for nearly two decades at Algonquin College in a variety of roles including president, vice president, executive director and dean, school of business.

MacDonald earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees from St. Francis Xavier University. He continued his academic journey with a Master of Business Administration degree from the Université d'Ottawa and earned a Doctorate of Education from University of Pennsylvania, where he was recently selected as Distinguished Alumnus, 2019. 

"I'm excited to apply all that I've learned over more than twenty years leading academic institutions, to my new position at Northwood University," said MacDonald. "Northwood has a storied 60-year history of educating tomorrow's business leaders and entrepreneurs, and I'm looking forward to helping more people understand the terrific return they receive on an investment in a Northwood University education."

MacDonald concluded, "My wife Mary Ellen and I look forward to meeting the faculty and staff of Northwood, while also immersing ourselves in the local community and getting to know alumni and supporters across America and around the world."

MacDonald will take office on August 1, 2019.

About Northwood University
Northwood University is committed to the most personal attention to prepare students for success in their careers and in their communities; it promotes critical thinking skills, personal effectiveness, and the importance of ethics, individual freedom and responsibility.

Private, nonprofit, and accredited, Northwood University specializes in managerial and entrepreneurial education at a full-service, residential campus located in mid-Michigan. Adult Degree Programs are available in multiple states and online. The DeVos Graduate School offers day and evening programming in Michigan and Texas, and online. The Michigan-based Alden B. Dow Center for Creativity and Enterprise provides system-wide expertise in family enterprise, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and new business development. International education is offered through study abroad and in Program Centers in Switzerland, China (Changchun and Wuxi), and Sri Lanka.     

For additional information regarding Northwood University, go to www.northwood.edu.

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SOURCE Northwood University

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