William Jewell College President to Resign, Search For Replacement Begins

Posted February 27, 2024

Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls the president of William Jewell College announced Tuesday she is stepping down from her role after eight years to pursue a new academic leadership opportunity. The private college has begun its search for a new president.

The news comes following Walls’ decision to accept her new position as president of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., according to a release. Walls is hoping to ensure a smooth transition for the college as she will remain active in her current role through the summer following the 2023–24 academic year. The Jewell Board of Trustees will lead the comprehensive search for the new president. 

The 15th president of William Jewell College, Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls. Photo credit: William Jewell College

She will become the fourteenth president of Washington & Jefferson College.

“Serving as the 15th President of William Jewell College has been the privilege of my career,” Walls said in the release. “I am especially proud of Jewell’s consistent enrollment growth, the impressive diversity of our student body, and the significant support from donors and friends that has allowed us to advance our critical thinking Mission. I look forward to focusing every day of my remaining tenure to promoting the impact of a William Jewell education in Kansas City and beyond.”

Walls was named the fifteenth President of William Jewell College in 2016. She earned her Ph.D. in English literature and classical rhetoric from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and her bachelor of arts degree in English and history at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio.

During her tenure, Walls helped launch initiatives like the rebranding of William Jewell as “The Critical Thinking College”, and programs to clarify tuition pricing, increase the diversity of the student body and introduce new academic and athletic programs.

Walls was recognized for her academic contributions to the greater Kansas City area in Ingram’s 2022 Icons of Education.

“Whether we are graduating Civil Engineers or English majors, our students will fill crucial needs across all sectors—and then emerge as leaders in those sectors. This is why I believe in critical thinking as the basis for all that we teach,” she said during her Icons of Education interview.