John Sellars

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John Sellars, Ph.D., was named president of Graceland University in May of 2007. Before that, he was the fifteenth President of Drury University, serving for two years. Before that, he was senior vice president for institutional advancement at Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York. Sellars has a deep understanding of how private universities operate and succeed, an expertise born not simply of personal success but also his scholarship in the field.

[edit] Biography

Sellars also has strong ties to Missouri. He was born and raised in Independence, and received his bachelor’s degrees from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg. He continued his education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he received a master's degree in public administration in 1986 and the Ph.D. in 1992. Post-graduate studies include the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University and the Strategic Planning and Higher Education Marketing program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In June 2006, Sellars was one of only 80 presidents of American colleges and universities to participate in the Council of Europe forum “Higher Education and Democratic Culture: Citizenship, Human Rights and Civic Responsibility.” The forum brought together 300 American and European leaders in government policy and higher education to discuss how higher education can support emerging democracies.

On May 24, 2007, Dr. Sellars was named the new president of Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, effective July 15. The university's news release notes:

"About his new appointment, Dr. Sellars says, 'My wife, Bette, and I are excited about returning to Graceland. It is an important university for us personally and professionally. We served there previously for nine years, and all three of our children graduated from Graceland. It is also the university of our faith tradition, and we are looking forward to being a part of the Graceland community once again.'

"Graceland University was established in 1895 as a non-sectarian liberal arts institution by the Community of Christ, headquartered in Independence, MO. It offers more than 50 academic programs to students from more than 40 states and 35 nations."

[edit] Sources

Graceland University press release