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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFranklin College has chosen Thomas J. Minar, the vice president of development and alumni relations at American University, as its 16th president, it announced Friday.
Minar will take over the job at the 181-year-old college July 1, succeeding James G. Moseley, who is retiring after 13 years in the position.
Miner joined American University in Washington, D.C., in 2008. He is credited with increasing revenue at the 13,000-student university by nearly 50 percent and significantly boosting its alumni donor base.
“The trustees of Franklin College have demonstrated excellent judgment and a strong vision for their institution by selecting Tom Minar as their president,” American University President Cornelius Kerwin said in a written statement. “Tom has been a transformative leader for American University, building the infrastructure and professionalizing our alumni and development operations across the institution to improve dramatically alumni engagement and philanthropy.”
Minar has nearly 30 years of experience in institutional fundraising, alumni relations, external affairs and higher education administration at several academic institutions, including Roosevelt University in Chicago, the Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Illinois.
Early in his career, he taught political science and management strategy at Northwestern University.
Minar has a doctorate in political science from Northwestern, a master’s degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, and a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College.
He is a native of the Chicago area and married to Dr. Frank Becker, an academic physician at Northwestern University and director of pulmonary and critical care at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital.
Franklin, located 25 miles south of Indianapolis, has about 1,000 students. It offers undergraduate degrees in 55 majors from 25 academic disciplines.
“I deeply respect Franklin’s traditional educational values, and I am eager to build on its momentum in the areas of enrollment, alumni engagement and engaged learning,” Minar said in a written statement. “I especially look forward to forging relationships in the Franklin College community and across the region as we share the good news of our institution.”
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