The dean of Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications for the past decade is leaving to become president of another university.
Quinnipiac University’s Board of Trustees on Thursday named Marie Hardin as the school’s next leader.
Hardin, a Penn State communications faculty member since 2003 and dean since July 2014, will begin as the Connecticut university’s 10th president on July 1. Penn State will conduct a national search for a new College of Communications dean, and Associate Dean Denise Bortree will serve as interim dean beginning June 15, according to a university news release.
“I have been fortunate beyond words to occupy the dean’s office in the Bellisario College at Penn State,” Hardin said. “My role has been supporter, champion, facilitator and ambassador for the work of a standout group of faculty and staff, who have helped scores of students succeed and pursue their dreams. When I leave this summer, the memories of that generosity, collegiality and dedication will propel me forward.”
Penn State credited Hardin with bolstering the reputation of graduate and undergraduate education, increasing interdisciplinary research and increasing outreach of the nation’s largest accredited mass communications program.
During her tenure, the college received a $30 million gift — one of the largest donation’s in the university’s history — from alumnus and television producer Donald P. Bellisario in 2017. With an additional $45 million from the university, the college in 2020 also opened an expansive new media center that brought together all of its departments and majors.
Over the college’s revenues from online degree programs have tripled, and research expenditures have more than quadrupled, according to Penn State.
“Dean Hardin has provided more than two decades of exemplary leadership and service to both the Bellisario College and the wider Penn State community,” Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Tracy Langkilde said in a statement. “Her strategic leadership and dedication to the university have provided an example that permeates Penn State and has built an exceptional reputation for the college at Penn State and far beyond. She has positioned the Bellisario College for continuing success going forward.”
As a professor, Hardin taught classes on sports and society, and in 2009 she received the university-wide George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. Her research has focused on issues of diversity, ethics and professionalism in sports journalism.
At Quinnipiac she will succeed Judy Olian, who has served as president there since 2018.
“We sought an innovative leader who is energized by the opportunity to continue the university’s upward momentum and impact in higher education,” Chuck Saia, president of the Quinnipiac Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “Quinnipiac found the perfect match in Dr. Hardin, whose background positions her as an astute and forward-looking leader for Quinnipiac’s future.”
