Christian M.M. Brady says he's thrilled to be chosen as Wittenberg University's 16th president.
Friday afternoon, he and his wife, Elizabeth, greeted students, alums, instructors and staff during a live streamed press conference.
Brady began by first paying homage to the school's Lutheran founders. In 1854, they chose the school's current Springfield site.
"No progress which keeps us up to date is possible, except as someone looks ahead to tomorrow's possibilities, and then takes what is at hand and brings them to reality," Brady quoted from Wittenberg Alum Harold Lentz.
Brady has more than 25 years of executive leadership in higher education. Prior to this appointment, he was dean of the Lewis Honors College at University of Kentucky. Before that, Brady led the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University and he served as interim dean of the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences.
His wife, Elizabeth is an author and an associate teaching professor of communication arts and sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. Their daughter Isabel is completing her doctorate in Medieval Art History at Florida State University. In 2012, their son John William McKenzie “Mack” unexpectedly died two weeks before his 9th birthday. He was passionate about soccer and wanted to be a goalkeeper. His dream was to play for Penn State and to be the US Men’s National team goalkeeper. The couple established a memorial fund for goalkeepers with Penn State Men’s Soccer.
Brady told the audience he promises to honor Wittenburg’s tradition in the coming years.
"This vision and mission is as relevant today, I would argue, more so than it was nearly 200 years ago," explained Brady. "The Wittenberg way of grounding all of our study in career preparation in the best liberal arts tradition, competing in athletics, achieving success with honors, building upon this great foundation of our past while shaping our future is the path that we will follow."
Brady is the university’s 16th president and he'll take office on June 1.
Current president Michael Frandsen has served the university since 2017. Last fall, he announced he would step down at the end of the academic year.
