Kathleen M. Murray has been named the new president of Hamline University following a four-month search.
Murray, who will become the St. Paul school’s 21st president when she assumes the post on Jan. 1, succeeds Fayneese Miller, who announced her retirement in April amid controversy over her administration’s handling of a Muslim student’s complaint about an adjunct professor who showed ancient art in class that depicted the Prophet Muhammad.
Previously, Murray served as the first female president of Whitman College in Washington State, as well as provost and dean of the faculty at Macalester College in St. Paul. She also was provost at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama and professor of piano, dean of conservatory, and dean of the faculty at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Murray will be the third consecutive female president at Hamline.
“The Board of Trustees was impressed by Dr. Murray’s strong track record,” Board Chair Ellen Watters said in a statement. “She is a dynamic, action-oriented and inclusive leader with a strong commitment to strategic fiscal management, diversity, and academic program development. She values voices of students, faculty, and staff, and I am confident she will be an exceptional president.”
Hamline physics professor Bruce Bolon, who serves as president of the faculty council, said Murray’s credentials are impressive, and added he’s hopeful she will facilitate a meaningful dialogue between the university’s administration and its faculty.
“From the faculty I’ve talked to, we’re optimistic that it will be a good change,” Bolon said. “We’re hoping she can hit the ground running.”
Miller will begin a sabbatical on Jan. 1 and retire in June, according to Hamline University officials.
The faculty council called for Miller’s resignation in January over her treatment of the professor who displayed the images of Muhammad.
“We’re definitely hoping the change in leadership can help heal the wounds,” Bolon said. “It was a very unfortunate incident that got worldwide attention this past year.”
Murray said in a statement that she was “honored and humbled” by the appointment.
“I was deeply impressed by the passion for Hamline expressed by all of the students, faculty, staff, and alums I met during the search process,” she said in a statement, “and I believe we can work together to build on the university’s very strong past to prepare it to thrive into the future.”
In 2022, Murray retired after seven years as president of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. While with the college she implemented a campus-wide financial sustainability review that helped the school navigate the pandemic challenges. She also guided strategic planning that set fundraising priorities as part of a campaign that raised more than $100 million, according to the announcement by Hamline University on her selection.
Murray was at Macalester College for seven years prior to her time at Whitman. Besides her work as provost and dean of faculty, she directed planning for a $70 million renovation and expansion of the Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center. She was named acting president by Macalester’s Board of Trustees from September to December 2013 while the president was on sabbatical leave.
Murray has a Doctor of Music from Northwestern University, a Master of Music from Bowling Green State University, and a Bachelor of Music from Illinois Wesleyan University. Murray’s training is focused on piano performance and pedagogy.