Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER – Manchester University announced Vice President for Student Life Abby Van Vlerah has been selected to serve as president of Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, Md.
She will start there on July 6. Her last day at Manchester is June 25.
Van Vlerah came to Manchester with more than a decade of leadership experience in higher education, including as an academic dean and chief operating officer.
"As a practicing Catholic and a graduate of a Catholic women's college, I am deeply aligned with Notre Dame of Maryland University's mission and the charism of the School Sisters of Notre Dame," Van Vlerah said. "The opportunity to lead an institution where faith, justice, education and transformation are not aspirational ideals but lived commitments, is personally meaningful and professionally compelling."
Throughout her career, Van Vlerah intentionally took on roles that prepared her for the full scope and complexity of becoming a university president. Manchester has benefited from her broad base of knowledge and willingness to tackle the most challenging issues, according to a news release provided. One of the most outstanding examples of this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she chaired the rapid response group.
A volunteer, Van Vlerah can be seen at most North Manchester community events. She has served as vice president of the North Manchester Historical Society and Steuben Regional Lakes Waste District, a United Fund of Wabash County board member, and a Madeleva Society Steering Committee member at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Ind.
Van Vlerah joined Manchester in February 2019. She had previously served as dean and chief operating officer at Long Island University's Suffolk County regional campuses. Before that, she was director of a mentoring program for first-generation students at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. She has also worked at Saint Mary's and the University of Wyoming. As a first-generation college student herself, she is passionate about supporting first-generation students as they navigate through the difficulties of attending university.
Originally from Angola, she is an avid motorcyclist and runner.
"At my core, my vision for higher education is one that is unapologetically mission-driven and sufficiently nimble to meet a rapidly changing world," Van Vlerah said of her new role at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
