Hamline University names new president

Hamline University in St. Paul announced on Wednesday that its next president will be Mayme Hostetter, the president of Relay Graduate School of Education in New York City.

In a speech delivered after her name was revealed, Hostetter, who is from the Twin Cities, said it would be a “true honor” to serve as the institution’s 22nd president. She was selected from a pool of 90 applications for the university’s top job in a national search.

“When I land here in July, please help me to get to know Hamline as you know it,” she said. “I’m excited to hear from and learn from all of you.”

She said she’s learned that Hamline is a “values-first institution” and that the Hamline community is committed to the university while also being clear-eyed about its challenges.

She also noted that Kathleen Murray, the university’s acting interim president, is a leader admired by many.

Murray took office Jan. 1, 2024. Before that, Hamline was led by Fayneese Miller, who arrived in 2015 and retired after nearly a decade. She left months after a controversy over Islamic artwork led faculty members to call for her resignation.

At the on-campus announcement, Murray told attendees that “the search was thorough” and “the candidate pool was robust.”

Cindy Gregorson, chair of the presidential search committee and member of the Hamline University Board of Trustees, said the school began looking for its next president last May, hiring a search firm and forming a committee of 13 people.

They chose Hostetter, an alum of both Harvard University and Columbia University who has a background in education, after whittling the candidate pool down to two in December, Gregorson said.

After she spoke, Hostetter introduced her wife and two children, who will join her in Minnesota.