Mark Hijleh

Dr. Mark Hijleh is Montreat’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, a role he has held since July 2021. In this role, Dr. Hijleh acts as the chief academic officer for the School of Arts and Sciences, overseeing the execution of academic policy and curriculum, program development, accreditation matters, and faculty hiring and development. Prior to coming to Montreat College, Dr. Hijleh served as Provost at The King’s College in New York City. His depth of experience also includes serving at The King’s College as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and on the President’s Cabinet and President’s Council. Under Dr. Hijleh’s direction, The King’s College’s retention rate rose from 62 percent to 79 percent, and up to 90 percent of students are able to complete at least one internship during their time. Furthermore, online summer revenue doubled during his time at the college. Dr. Hijleh previously served for 21 years at Houghton College where he first served as chair for the Integrative Studies Collegium, which became the campus-wide unit overseeing all of the general education, from 2009-to 2011. Later, he served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and was able to develop a new Lilly grant-funded faculty peer mentoring program, as well as initiate a new career exploration and support program for students. Dr. Hijleh holds degrees from the University of Sheffield in the UK, Johns Hopkins University, Ithaca College, and William Jewell College.