St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has selected Marcheta P. Evans to serve as its 12th president. The appointment makes Dr. Evans the university’s first ever Black woman president.
St. Catherine University is a women’s school that enrolls about 2,400 undergraduate students and 300 graduate students. Men are not permitted as undergraduate residential students, but can enroll in graduate programs.
Dr. Evans has three decades of experience in higher education at both private and public institutions. She served as the first African-American and first woman president of Bloomfield College in New Jersey. Since the college merged with Montclair State University in July 2023, Dr. Evans has served as chancellor of Bloomfield College. Prior to her current appointment with Bloomfield College, she served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, where she taught for 23 years. She served as an associate dean and department chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio earlier in her career.
“St. Catherine University’s commitment to empowering women and promoting social justice aligns with my own dedication to fostering inclusive and purpose-driven academic environments,” said Dr. Evans. “These principles as well as St. Kate’s core values of academic excellence, community, integrity, social justice, and reflection seamlessly align with my identity as a servant leader in higher education.”
Dr. Evans completed her undergraduate education at University of Alabama where she majored in psychology. She holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling and a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.