Mary B. Marcy is President Emerita of Dominican University of California. She served as a Visiting Fellow, and later as the President-in-Residence, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is Chair-elect of the WASC Senior College and University Commission, and Senior Advisor to the Council of Independent Colleges where she leads a national initiative focused on strategic innovation.

Marcy’s leadership at Dominican University of California was marked by dramatic improvements in student graduation rates, increased student civic and community engagement, innovative curriculum changes, significant success in fundraising, and creative new partnerships. At the conclusion of her tenure the University secured the nation’s top award for transformation from the American Council on Education and Fidelity Investments, and Marcy received the Washington Center’s Presidential Leadership Award. The following year, Dominican was named 10th in the nation for early graduate career earnings.

Marcy has published and presented extensively on issues of leadership and strategy in higher education. Her book The Small College Imperative: Models for Sustainable Futures remains essential reading for leaders of independent colleges and universities and was recognized as one of the Top 10 higher education books of 2020 by Forbes.

Prior to her tenure at Dominican, Marcy was the Provost of Bard College at Simon’s Rock and Vice President of Bard College. Born and raised in western Nebraska, Marcy received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska. She holds a Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in Politics from the University of Oxford.