Dr. Kent D. MacDonald officially begins his tenure as the 6th president of Northwood University today. He was welcomed into office by outgoing president and CEO Keith Pretty, board chairman, Al Zehnder, Board of Trustees, alumni, as well as friends and family of the university at the 13th Annual Bay Harbor Celebration and leadership retreat.
The leadership retreat is an annual tradition to bring key Northwood University leaders together for two days of strategic planning. It caps off on Saturday with a symposium at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club in Bay Harbor, Michigan. Dr. MacDonald will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event, which features chief economist and Northwood alum Jonathan Williams as the keynote speaker.
MacDonald was announced as president in April and joins Northwood from St. Francis Xavier University, one of Canada’s most respected and historic universities, where he served as President and Vice Chancellor since 2014.
Since the announcement, Dr. MacDonald has been working closely with Northwood leaders to develop a 100-day strategic plan to move Northwood into the start of next 60 years of developing the future leaders of a global, free enterprise society.
“I plan to hit the ground running, using my experience in the higher education sector and effective leadership to close the gap between what universities teach and what businesses need,” said MacDonald. “Additionally, I’m looking forward to helping more people understand the terrific return they receive on an investment in a Northwood University education.”
In addition to fully immersing himself into the university community, Dr. MacDonald and his wife Mary-Ellen MacPhee, will be highly visible leaders on campus who plan to engage locally and nationally with a variety of committees and organizations.
