Hiram College Announces New Additions to Leadership Team

During the recent spring session, the Hiram College Board of Trustees voted to name Jeffrey Swenson, Ph.D., who previously served in an interim capacity, as the College’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

Dr. Swenson came to the College in 2007 as a professor of English and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum. A scholar of American Literature and Culture, he studies and writes about Midwestern literature, Native American literature, and disability studies—particularly representations of Autism in popular culture. As Director of Writing Across the Curriculum, Dr. Swenson supervised all first-year writing and composition courses at the College, trained faculty in writing pedagogy, and directed Hiram’s Writing Center.

In 2020, Dr. Swenson moved into the associate academic dean position, where he led several key initiatives at the College, including the Coherence Committee, a team that removed barriers between online and on-ground instructional programs. He also led the creation of a Professional Academic Advising Office and coordinated the move that pulled Academic Support, Advising, and Online Learning Support into one centrally located student support center.

Since moving into the interim position in the summer of 2023, Dr. Swenson has focused on developing coordination between Academic and Student Affairs, particularly in looking at efforts to support student retention and to improve the overall student experience. As the chief academic officer, Dr. Swenson will continue to serve as a member of the President’s leadership team and work to identify strategic directions in terms of the College’s academic offerings and commitment to liberal arts education.

Dr. Swenson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Saint John’s University in Minnesota, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and a Doctor of Philosophy in English from the University of Iowa.

Hiram College is also pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Blackford, CFRE, a strategic and innovative advancement professional, as the College’s new vice president for development and alumni relations.

As the senior administrator for advancement, Blackford will provide oversight for the College’s development, alumni relations, and foundation, corporate, and government relations. She will also serve as a member of the President’s leadership team.

Blackford came to the College in December to serve as executive director of corporate, foundation, and principal gifts, a role in which she focused primarily on fostering and strengthening relationships with public and private foundations, corporations, and individuals. She also led Hiram’s major gift program.

Blackford has more than 20 years of development experience. Before Hiram, she served as a philanthropic strategy advisor for the Cleveland Foundation, where she helped organizations, corporations, and individuals fulfill their charitable goals. Prior to her work with the Cleveland Foundation, Blackford served as the assistant director for the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where she played a significant role in advancing the fundraising efforts of the school.

Blackford is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a certified trainer in Family Philanthropy through 21/64. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Eastern University in St. David’s, Pennsylvania, followed by a graduate certificate in philanthropic studies from the Indiana University Lily Family School of Philanthropy.

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.