Joy Fehr has been named president of La Sierra University in Riverside, California. The school enrolls just over 2,000 undergraduate students and more than 400 graduate students. Women make up 60 percent of the undergraduate student body. Dr. Fehr’s presidency will begin on July 1, 2019.
Currently, Dr. Fehr serves as provost of La Sierra University, a position she has held since 2015. Before coming to La Sierra, she served as vice president for academic administration at Burman University in Alberta, Canada. She previously held other roles at Burman including dean of the arts division and professor of English. Prior to her career in higher education, she served as co-owner and vice president of Fehr West Industries Ltd., a mechanical mobile repair business.
“As La Sierra University moves into the future, I look forward to discovering with the campus community how we can continue to ensure our students are best served, best educated and best prepared to be positive change agents — the conduits of God’s grace in their worlds,” said Dr. Fehr. “I’m excited about the opportunities that we will have to discover how we can best support our staff and faculty as they continue to nurture our diverse communities both on and off campus and build their skills as service providers, educators, and knowledge makers. Together we will grow La Sierra University well into its second century. I am grateful to be a part of the campus journey in this place, our home.”
Dr. Fehr holds a bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in English literature both from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.