Provost Flavius R.W. Lilly, Ph.D., announced as Muskingum University's 22nd President

Provost Flavius R.W. Lilly, Ph.D., has been named president at Muskingum University in Ohio and will be leaving McDaniel College at the end of the spring semester.

For the past three years, Lilly has served as McDaniel’s chief academic officer, having broad responsibility for both the undergraduate and graduate academic programs. He will continue to serve in this role through the end of the spring semester before becoming president at Muskingum on July 1. 

During his time at McDaniel, Lilly has worked with Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies Vickie Mazer to establish new academic programs in Early Childhood Education, Nursing, Speech-Language Pathology, and Occupational Therapy. 

He also provided guidance on donor-funded academic and athletic renovation projects completed in fall 2025, including the Learning Commons @ Hoover Library, integrating student and academic resources, as well as new faculty and staff offices in the Department of Economics and Business Administration and the Dr. Richard A. Clower ’50 Track dedicated during Homecoming.

Additionally, he helped to secure a $2 million grant through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative Fund (MEIF) for an Endowed Professorship in Computational Innovation and Emerging Technologies.

In an email to the McDaniel community, McDaniel President Julia Jasken noted, “Although bittersweet news, his appointment reflects the exciting progress and collective accomplishments of our community. It is not only a testament to his collaborative leadership and strategic oversight, but also a point of institutional pride that a member of our senior leadership team has been selected to lead another institution. Please join me in wishing him great success as Muskingum’s 22nd president.”

Prior to coming to McDaniel, Lilly served as the vice provost of academic and student affairs and the vice dean of the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB). He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and obtained a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Drexel University. He also has a master’s degree in Applied Sociology and Ph.D. in Gerontology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).

Plans are underway to launch a national search for the college’s next provost, with the goal of having the new provost identified by this summer.