Messiah University names Jon Stuckey as president

The Messiah University Board of Trustees has named Jon C. Stuckey, Ph.D., as the University’s ninth president, effective May 1, 2026. He has been serving as interim president since July 1, 2025, according to a media release. He succeeds Kim S. Phipps, Ph.D., who retired as Messiah’s eighth president in June 2025.

“As interim president Dr. Stuckey demonstrated the qualities that we were looking for in Messiah’s next president–a commitment to integrating intellectual rigor and Christian faith, gracious hospitality, leadership in crisis, strong communication with stakeholders, and navigating challenging issues. Those qualities, along with his confident, yet humble, leadership style, his deep embrace of Messiah’s mission, and a strategic vision for the University going forward, set him apart,” said board chair Rod L. Musser in the media release.

Stuckey has served at Messiah since 2000 in a variety of administrative and educator roles. Prior to his appointment as interim president, he served as vice president for advancement. He has also served as associate vice president of development; executive director and director of development; senior development officer; and director of foundation relations and sponsored programs. Stuckey has also served as an assistant professor of sociology—teaching courses in the Department of Psychology, Criminal Justice and Sociology and in the Department of Human Development and Family Science.

Prior to coming to Messiah in 2000, Stuckey served for 13 years in a variety of teaching, research and administrative leadership roles at Case Western University in Cleveland, OH.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve and lead at a place that has defined my vocational and personal faith journey for the past 26 years,” said President Stuckey In the media release, “Messiah University and our students, educators, staff and alumni have inspired, enriched and encouraged me in innumerable ways,” he continued. “’Christ Preeminent’ describes not only our legacy and heritage, but also our future. As we move forward together into the next chapter of what the Lord has called Messiah to become, we do so with confidence in His faithfulness and provision throughout our history.”

During his interim presidency, Stuckey led the board and campus community in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the University’s identity and mission statements—reaffirming their central role in shaping Messiah as a singular institution of Christian higher education. This affirmation has informed his collaboration in recent months with trustees, faculty, staff and students to chart the framework for the University’s next strategic plan. Stuckey has also been overseeing a related comprehensive campus master planning effort that will guide the strategic development and stewardship of Messiah’s physical spaces and facilities.

Founded in 1909, Messiah University is a nationally ranked, private Christian university in Mechanicsburg. The university enrolls more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students across 80+ undergraduate majors and 30+ graduate degree and certificate programs.