This year, Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan., and Lenoir-Rhyne University, Hickory, N.C., appointed new presidents to lead the ELCA-affiliated schools.
Bethany College
Laura Crawley began her role as 16th president of Bethany College on May 1.
Most recently Crawley served as vice president of mission, engagement and innovation at Lenoir-Rhyne. Previously she held leadership positions at the University of Georgia, including as assistant vice president for academic affairs and director of the Gwinnett campus. She also served as director of the executive MBA Program at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
Crawley earned a Bachelor of Arts in American studies from the University of Texas at Austin and a doctorate and master’s in women’s studies from Emory University in Atlanta.
“[Bethany’s] strong values of faith, service and academic excellence deeply resonate with my commitment to supporting students and fostering growth,” she said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, students and alumni as we build on Bethany’s proud history and look toward a bright future. I am also thrilled to become a part of the Lindsborg community, which has so much to offer in terms of culture and spirit.”
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Summer McGee was named the 13th president of Lenoir-Rhyne University, effective July 1. She is the first female president in the school’s 134-year history.
McGee has served as president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, N.C., since 2021. She previously was founding dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven (Conn.), after serving as an associate professor of management in that institution’s Pompea College of Business.
She earned bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and bioethics from Indiana University in Bloomington and a doctorate in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
“What calls me to Lenoir-Rhyne is its simultaneous commitment to excellence, faith, tradition, and innovation through its nationally recognized academic programs, its deep integration of values-based education with real-world impact, and the excellence [brought] to all they do, whether in competition, learning or service,” McGee said. “I look forward to partnering with Lenoir-Rhyne’s faculty, staff and students as we continue its tradition of excellence while embracing its mission and commitments.”
