MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 19, 2014 – Reverend Malachi Van Tassell, PhD graduate of Capella University (http://www.capella.edu), has been elected president of Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. Father Malachi earned his PhD in higher education leadership from Capella, a regionally accredited online university* that offers online degree programs designed to help working adults advance in their careers.
Fr. Malachi, a certified public accountant, worked for Coopers & Lybrand in Phoenix and Arthur Andersen in Albuquerque as a tax accountant prior to becoming a Franciscan. He professed vows as a Franciscan in 1999 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2004 at the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Saint Francis University.
Saint Francis University is the oldest Franciscan institution of higher education in the United States. It was founded in 1847 and has about 2,451 students enrolled.
Fr. Malachi credits his Capella education for providing him with a base on which to begin this new position. "I recall fondly my time as a Capella learner. The program was very rigorous and provided me with a firm foundation on which to embark into the world of higher education leadership. My dissertation on servant leadership was timely then and now," Fr. Malachi said. "I was able to earn a respected PhD while balancing the demands of career and life vocation. As president and chief shepherd of Saint Francis University, I will strive to model and implement servant-leadership into our campus culture."
Fr. Malachi's term will begin after Rev. Gabriel Zeis concludes his tenure at the end of the academic year of 2013-2014.
About Capella University Capella University (www.capella.edu) is a regionally accredited online university* that offers online degree programs designed to help working adults advance in their careers. Over 70 percent of Capella students are currently enrolled in master's or doctoral degree programs in business, counseling, education, health administration, homeland security, human resource management, human services, information technology, nonprofit management and leadership, nursing, psychology, public administration, public health, public safety, and social work. Capella also offers bachelor's degree programs in business, information technology, nursing, psychology, and public safety. Within those areas, Capella currently offers 143 graduate and undergraduate specializations and 21 certificate programs. Approximately 35,000 learners were enrolled as of Dec. 30, 2013, from all 50 states and 61 other countries. Capella is committed to providing high-caliber academic excellence and pursuing balanced business growth. Founded in 1993, Capella University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capella Education Company, headquartered in Minneapolis. For more information, please visit http://www.capella.edu or call 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552).
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*Capella University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), www.ncahlc.org. Capella University, Capella Tower, 225 South Sixth Street, Ninth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402, 1.888.CAPELLA (227.3552), www.capella.edu.