“I am honored to serve this extraordinary community and look forward to fostering a healthy and robust educational experience for all.”
Mildred Mihlon, PhD was appointed Acting President of Felician University on April 5, 2023. She comes to the position with nearly twenty-five years of higher education leadership experience. Her background at predominately Hispanic and Minority-serving, Catholic institutions with missions focused on service, justice, and compassion, readily establishes her commitment and dedication to Felician University’s mission and the Felician Franciscan core values that are the foundation of university life and learning. Previous to her appointment as Acting President, she served as Dean for the School of Arts & Sciences with oversight of nearly 50 full-time faculty members and 15-degree programs.
Dr. Mihlon joined the Felician University Community in September 2020 amidst the global pandemic. In a relatively short time, she and her team made significant contributions to the University. Bringing a clear and articulated vision and energy to the School of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Mihlon secured the most substantial Department of Education grant in university history. The $4.5 million FIESTA grant award has supported faculty development, and new and continuing transfer enrollment, and funded the construction of science labs, teaching spaces, and a STEM resource center with modernized technology. The FIESTA initiative has already begun to impact student success and improve the overall quality of STEM education at Felician.
Under her leadership, the faculty in the School of Arts & Sciences are engaged in strategic curricular change, accelerating graduate and adult learner initiatives, and added the Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) and Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) programs, which have both received full accreditation from the State of New Jersey.
Prior to Felician, Dr. Mihlon was at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ where she served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs & Assessment. Her extensive portfolio there included managerial and fiscal oversight of student learning and enrollment management outcomes, student retention and graduation initiatives, and numerous student support areas including global learning, study abroad, international student services, the school for adult and continuing education, instructional design, external partnerships, career and academic advising centers, disability services, ESL/ELL, EOF, and TRIO.
Dr. Mihlon received her PhD from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in Educational Psychology with a concentration in learning, development, and instruction. She is a wife and mother of two sons, David (age 9) and James (age 6).
