From President Jasken

On June 1, 2021, Dr. Julia Jasken became the 10th president of McDaniel College and the second woman president in the college’s over 150-year history. She has dedicated nearly her entire professional life to higher education and most notably to McDaniel, beginning in the classroom in 2003 as an English professor specializing in new media pedagogy and teaching a variety of professional writing courses. Over her tenure at McDaniel, Dr. Jasken has assumed increasing responsibility in administrative positions, serving as the college’s executive vice president and provost immediately preceding her presidency.

A champion of both the liberal arts and McDaniel’s student-centered mission, she has overseen many of the college’s most important strategic initiatives. She envisioned and designed the college’s signature McDaniel Commitment, which emphasizes experiential learning and alumni connections, and guarantees that every student, guided by a team of mentors, can construct and tailor their personal educational path. Dr. Jasken has also led the Return to the Hill planning efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has overseen the college’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.