Mary Baldwin University president resigns; new president named

Mary Baldwin University announced this week that president Jeff Stein has resigned, after only two years in the role.

Stein notified the Staunton-based private university’s board of trustees on Tuesday that he would resign, and the board accepted his resignation. With Stein’s departure, the board quickly confirmed Todd Telemeco as the 11th president of Mary Baldwin University, effective immediately.

The university did not provide the reasons for Stein’s resignation in its announcement.

“We thank Dr. Stein and his wife, Chrissy, for their two years of service to the University, and we wish them the best in their future endeavors,” the university said in a statement. “We are especially grateful for Dr. Stein’s ability to reinvigorate the connection between the university and our alumni, including his making numerous in-person visits to alumni chapters and hosting various meetings, celebrations and social gatherings in the President’s House. This renewed energy in alumni relations has also contributed to significantly higher alumni giving rates.”

The university highlighted the following aspects of his tenure: launching the strategic plan Elevate MBU to guide the university’s direction, as well as creating a new structure and process to support its students’ academic and personal needs.

In a letter sent to the Mary Baldwin community, Telemeco alluded to financial difficulties the university has been facing. He said he accepted the role because he loves the institutions and believes “deeply in its future.” He described Stein as “a good man who cares about MBU.”

“Changes like this can be painful and unsettling, and I have heard that many of you are feeling surprised, sad, and uncertain about the future of MBU,” Telemeco said. “Your reactions are understandable and I respect them.

He said the board approached him to lead “at a time when he said the university is facing “significant pressures,” similar to many other small colleges. He said the “historic” campus is costly to maintain and that the university’s discount rate is high, both of which exert pressure on the school’s resources. He said while the university has good reasons for high discount rates and investing in maintaining the campus, “our choices come with consequences we must reconcile.”

However, he added “I would not have accepted this role had there been any mandate or intent to close our residential undergraduate campus. My charge — and my commitment — is to advance all three sectors of MBU: our historic undergraduate residential campus, our thriving health sciences programs, and our growing online offerings.”

Telemeco said the university must align its resources to prepare students for careers in key workforce areas and accelerate the university’s ability to prepare students for future careers. He also committed to “information sharing” by holding sessions with students, faculty, staff and alumni. He also plans to bring forward proposals to sharper the school’s academic focus and be more sustainable. He added that he values difference of opinion and welcomes feedback from faculty, staff and students to help his decision making.

“Acceleration is not a departure from who we are — it’s in keeping with MBU’s entrepreneurial history and our legacy of adapting to meet new challenges,” Telemeco said. “I bring a collaborative style and a CEO mindset: we will care for people and we will make decisions. Both are necessary.”

Telemeco has been vice president and dean of the university’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences since July 2023. He is a licensed physical therapist who holds two doctoral degrees. The university credits him for expanding the School of Nursing and strengthening ties between the undergraduate, residential campus in Staunton and the health sciences campus in Fishersville.

He has more than 20 years of experience as a professor and in leadership roles in higher education, including serving as the School of Health Sciences dean at Methodist University, founding dean for the University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s College of Health Sciences and vice president of academic affairs at the University of Mount Olive.