Following a unanimous vote, the Hiram College Board of Trustees is proud to announce the election of Robert E. Bohrer II, Ph.D., an esteemed higher education leader, as the 24th president of the College. Taking the helm just ahead of the College’s celebration of 175 years in 2025, Dr. Bohrer will guide the strategic direction and planning for the future of the College and oversee operations to ensure ongoing viability and success.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Bohrer serve as Hiram’s president,” said Robert Turner, chair of the Hiram College Board of Trustees. “He is an experienced educator and strong leader whose vision and judgement will serve Hiram well as we continue to fulfill the mission of the College, just as we have done since 1850.”
Dr. Bohrer came to Hiram in 2022 after serving more than 20 years in faculty and administrative positions at Gettysburg College to serve as the College’s vice president of academic affairs and dean. As the chief academic officer, Dr. Bohrer served as a key member of the President’s leadership team and worked to identify strategic academic initiatives for the College. Highlights of his accomplishments in the role include the restructuring of Student Academic Support to provide a support hub for students; the development of the Coordinated Assistance Resource and Education (CARE) team, a multidisciplinary group of staff members who meet regularly to identify, monitor, and provide support for students in an integrated fashion; and initiated the College’s membership into the Campus Nature Rx Network. He also submitted applications to the Higher Learning Commission to add a graduate certificate in trauma-informed education and Master of Arts in sport management, both of which were approved and added to the College’s offered academic programs. More recently, Dr. Bohrer has served the presidency in an interim capacity following the retirement of Dr. David Haney last spring.
“Hiram’s mission and rich history of providing a transformational education to students with diverse backgrounds is very compelling to me as a first-generation college student,” said Dr. Bohrer. “I am honored to accept the election as president. I look forward to celebrating Hiram’s 175th year and building on this legacy to provide first class opportunities for students of today and in the future.”
As senior associate provost for academic success at Gettysburg College, Dr. Bohrer worked with partners across campus to enhance enrollment, persistence, and the student experience. Prior to that, he served more than five years as associate provost and dean of public policy programs, where he oversaw the co-curricular Eisenhower Institute, a program grounded in President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s legacy of leadership that prepares undergraduates to assume their responsibility as global citizens in public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Dr. Bohrer also served as associate provost for faculty development, and as associate professor and department chair for the Department of Political Science.
Furthermore, during his time at Gettysburg, Dr. Bohrer focused on student success initiatives to enhance engagement, advising, and mentoring for students both inside and outside of the classroom, in addition to implementing services that meet the needs of students and foster growth. Through this role, he co-chaired several committees, including the Student Success Task Force, a body charged with addressing demographic challenges facing higher education, and the work championed data-informed means of improving student retention and graduation rates. He has also played a leadership role in successful initiatives to increase the diversity of faculty, staff, and students.
Dr. Bohrer holds a Bachelor of Science degree in comprehensive social science from the University of Nebraska at Kearney and a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from Texas A&M University. He has been married to his wife, Sandy, a high school English and theatre teacher, for 33 years. Together, they have two children, Jenna, who teaches English in Spain, and Heath, who is pursuing recording arts.
###
About Hiram College:
Founded in 1850, Hiram College provides students of all backgrounds with an attainable private education that teaches the 21st-century skills needed to thrive professionally and personally in the face of inevitable and constant change. Built on a community that fosters student-faculty collaboration, the College equips all students with the tools necessary to embrace active learning in the classroom, in Ohio, and beyond through technology, internship, study away, research, and other experiential opportunities for growth and development. Recognized by Colleges of Distinction, The Princeton Review, U.S. News and World Report, and as a top baccalaureate college by Washington Monthly, Hiram enrolls over 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students in academic programs on its Northeast Ohio campus and online. For more information, please visit www.hiram.edu.