The Wesleyan College Board of Trustees proudly announces the appointment of Meaghan Blight as the institution’s 26^th president effective July 1, 2022. President-elect Blight comes to Wesleyan from Huron University College, a small liberal arts institution in London, Ontario, Canada. She has spent the last thirteen years as an executive in higher education, partnering with industry, private donors, and foundations to identify advancement opportunities for students, faculty, and community and since 2016 has served as Huron’s Vice President of University Growth and Chief of Staff. 

While at Huron, Blight’s responsibilities increased to include supervision of advancement, alumni relationships, communications, and marketing, recruiting and admissions, and student services. She is credited with leading Huron’s success in all of those areas. Under her leadership, Huron led all Canadian academic institutions in enrollment growth with increases of 110 percent in domestic enrollment and 300 percent in international enrollment. Retention also grew by ten percent. She accomplished these gains while increasing academic standards and creating programs focused on student well-being and success. 

Also, under her charge, annual fundraising revenue skyrocketed and key academic partnerships with the Ivey Business School and Harvard Business School were developed. 

Huron President Barry Craig noted, “Meaghan came to Huron eight years ago and immediately made her mark on this institution. None of the successes that Huron achieved during this period would have been possible without Meaghan’s direct involvement. I wish her every success in her new role.”

President-elect Blight was well-received by all Wesleyan constituencies during her interviews on campus, sparking great excitement with her energy and vision for Wesleyan.  Dr. Jim Ferrari, Chair of Faculty Counsel and member of the Search Committee said, “The faculty enthusiastically welcome Ms. Blight to Wesleyan College and look forward to working with her to advance her vision for the College.” 

“The Search Committee was impressed by Meaghan’s accomplishments upon review of her submission and then when she interviewed on campus we realized just how special she is in her ability to articulate a vision, communicate effectively with all constituencies and create an electric atmosphere on the Wesleyan campus.  We are pleased to have had a role in bringing this caliber of leader to Wesleyan College,” stated Search Committee Co-Chair, Deborah Moses.

Wesleyan is primed to play a significant role in closing the gender equity gap, elevating the lives of women worldwide. Wesleyan’s mission since 1836 has been to educate women. Under Meaghan Blight’s leadership, Wesleyan will embrace that mission with a renewed focus based on the needs of current and future women around the world. 

President-elect Blight is excited to serve a women’s college as she understands the important role they play in accelerating gender equality. Her mission will be to situate Wesleyan and her alumnae as main contributors in this endeavor. “After spending the last eight years rebranding and repositioning Huron University to be a sustainable and formidable force in the academic space, I am ready to commit my energy, drive and experience to Wesleyan College, to lead this prominent institution through her next chapter.”

In addition to Meaghan’s professional accomplishments, she is very proud of her personal accomplishments too, including being married for 13 years to her greatest supporter, Kyle, and being the mother of two very active, kind, and witty boys:  Jake (10) and Cole (6).  Meaghan is the head coach of her son’s baseball team and enjoys camping, golf, snowboarding, and walks with her dogs, Ruby and Walter.  She and her family look forward to becoming active members of the Macon and Middle Georgia communities.  

Founded in 1836 as the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women and shaped by Methodist values, Wesleyan College remains a residential, liberal arts college for women. Wesleyan provides students an academically challenging and relevant liberal arts education, drawing a wonderfully eclectic mix of women – about 800 in all – from across the United States and a variety of countries around the world. 

Wesleyan offers 25 majors and 36 minors including self-designed interdisciplinary studies, the Bachelor of Science in nursing, and the Bachelor of Fine Art degrees, plus nine pre-professional programs. Traditionally the top five majors are business administration, nursing, psychology, elementary education, and biology. Additionally, the College offers women online bachelor’s degree programs in business, accounting, and applied psychology. Men and women can enroll in five graduate programs: Master of Business Administration, Master of Elementary Education, Master of Science in Nonprofit Management, and the Master of Arts in Music.

Wesleyan is home to six NCAA Division III athletic teams – basketball, cross country, track, soccer, softball, and volleyball – and an award-winning equestrian program that competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association and the Intercollegiate Dressage Association.

Wesleyan invites the community to enjoy College resources that include a 100-acre arboretum featuring approximately three miles of trails, Mathews Athletic Center, Wesleyan Academy of Lifelong Learning, and Willet Library.