Muhlenberg College’s first female president to retire after 2026–27 year
Kathleen E. Harring, Muhlenberg’s 13th and first female president, will step down at the end of the 2026–2027 academic year after a long career at the college.
Muhlenberg College President Kathleen E. Harring announced Wednesday that she will retire at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year.
Harring is the college’s 13th president and the first woman to serve in the role.
“It has been an honor to serve as the 13th President of Muhlenberg College,” Harring said. “Leading this great institution is truly a privilege, and I am proud of all we have achieved together.”
Under Harring’s leadership, the college said it received numerous accolades, including recognition for the return on investment in a Muhlenberg degree, post-graduate outcomes, impact on social mobility, and commitment to civic engagement.
In June 2025, it completed its most recent comprehensive campaign, generating more than $127 million in philanthropy.
Other recognitions include “High Flyer” status, conferred by Bloomberg Philanthropies for the college’s success in meeting goals under the American Talent Initiative, a consortium of top colleges and universities with commitments to providing access to students from low- and moderate-income households.
According to a press release, Harring had privately notified the college’s Board of Trustees of her decision at its May 2026 meeting.
Now that the announcement has been made public, the trustees said they would launch a search for Muhlenberg’s 14th president immediately.
“On behalf of the board of trustees, I thank Kathy for her service and leadership,” said Lance Bruck, chair of Muhlenberg’s board. “Her dedication to academic excellence, the well-being of our students, and sustaining the institution’s success always has guided her decisions. We look forward to working with her during her final year as president and to wishing her a well-deserved retirement.”
Harring officially took on the role of president in June 2020 after serving as interim president since 2019.
Prior to her presidency, Harring served in numerous leadership positions at Muhlenberg including provost, vice president and dean of institutional effectiveness and planning, and dean of institutional assessment and academic planning.
She has spent the entirety of her professional career at Muhlenberg, having joined the faculty in 1984.
Harring earned her B.A. in psychology from Franklin and Marshall College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in social psychology with a minor in quantitative psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.