Mark C. Reed

Dr. Mark C. Reed, EdD, was elected unanimously by the Board of Trustees as the 25th president of Loyola University Chicago in May of 2022.

Reed joined Loyola after seven years as the first non-Jesuit president at Saint Joseph’s University, and before that, 15 years in senior leadership roles across Fairfield University. His career has focused on strengthening the institutions he has served, particularly in the areas of expanded academic programs, strategic partnerships, university finances and endowment, student formation, and advancement of the Jesuit, Catholic mission.

Reed oversaw the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan focusing on enriching academic quality and distinction, enhancing student experiences, promoting programs of national prominence, and fostering greater financial strength and stability. He envisioned the new campus master plan to bolster support for academics, athletics, student life, and the overall campus experience. Dr. Reed also made expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion a key priority, steadily increasing the percentage of first-year students of color and opening a dedicated space for students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, and other underrepresented communities.

During Dr. Reed’s tenure, he secured a $50 million gift—the largest in the university’s history—while also doubling the endowment and increasing financial support to students in need. In 2017, Saint Joseph’s entered a long-term educational affiliation with the adjacent, internationally renowned Barnes Foundation to steward the 12-acre arboretum and associated horticulture program and renovate the former Barnes Gallery building into an art museum and teaching and event space. In 2019, the university opened the School of Health Studies and Education, making it the university’s first new school in 30 years. In 2021, Saint Joseph’s announced an agreement to acquire and integrate the University of the Sciences, bringing several health professions and enhanced science programs–as well as USciences’ endowment and campus–under Saint Joseph’s.

As a student-centered leader, Dr. Reed knows the life of any university depends on the experience of its students. Whether in the classroom teaching Calculus or Statistics, on retreats and service trips, or attending sports events and artistic performances, he is committed to being an active participant in the academic, spiritual, and social life of the school community.

Known for his coalition-building and leadership among peers, Dr. Reed currently serves as chair of the Council of Presidents for the Atlantic 10 Conference—which Loyola will formally join in July 2022—and serves on the Boards of Directors for the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), and Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). He is chairman of the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.

Reed is a lifelong product of Jesuit, Catholic education beginning with his time in high school at St. Joseph’s Prep. He earned his BS in mathematics and MBA from Fairfield University, as well as an MEd in secondary educational administration from Boston College, both fellow Jesuit universities. He earned his EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.