Travis L. Frampton, PhD, Named University of Dubuque's 12th President

DUBUQUE, Iowa - After a national search, the University of Dubuque Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the appointment of Travis L. Frampton, PhD, as the university's 12th president. Frampton has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, since July 2019. He also is Schreiner's Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges liaison as well as Schreiner's Title IX coordinator.

Frampton's appointment will begin Saturday, June 1, 2024. He will succeed Rev. Jeffrey F. Bullock, PhD, who initiated the orderly process of stepping away from the presidency after 25 years of service.

"On behalf of the University of Dubuque Board of Trustees, we are pleased to welcome Travis Frampton and his family to the University of Dubuque," said Trustee Suzanne (Luck) Preiss (C'72), presidential search committee chair, and Trustee Joseph Chlapaty (C'68, DHL'98), board of trustees chair, in a joint statement. "Travis brings a wealth of academic and administrative knowledge. We are confident that his 20 plus years of experience will continue to guide UD into the next phase of transformational leadership that we have been so blessed with during President Bullock's tenure."

The presidential search committee worked diligently with AGB Search Consultants.

"The University of Dubuque has such a rich history of educating and serving students since 1852," Frampton said. "Over the past few decades, it has positioned itself as a leader in higher education, remaining committed to its mission of preparing students for service to the church and the world. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and consider it a great honor to be able to serve as the next president of the University of Dubuque. I appreciate the hospitality that members of the search committee, the board, and the cabinet already have shown me and my family, and I look forward to getting to know the faculty and staff of UD as we work together to serve the needs of our students and the surrounding community of Dubuque. The challenges facing colleges and universities in America are not getting easier. As president, I look forward to propelling UD's mission forward by extending the reach and scope of our university's work in meaningful ways at the local, state, and national levels."

Frampton earned a bachelor of arts in religion from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, a master of arts in religion from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a dual doctor of philosophy degree in philosophy and religion from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (philosophy) in the Netherlands and Baylor University (religion) in Waco, Texas.

As provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University, Frampton created a new academic learning ecosystem for the campus, implemented new academic programs, designed relevant and innovative academic majors, developed mission-critical co-curricular programs, consistently maintained a balanced budget and created ways to improve efficiency, established graduate school pipelines for undergraduates, added resources to increase support for faculty development, and more.

Frampton and his spouse, Tonya, have three children, Blake, Benjamin, and Brody.

Frampton will succeed President Bullock, who is currently the longest serving president in UD's history. President Bullock has been asked to serve in an of counsel capacity for the university to aid in the on-boarding of the new president for a period of time as requested by the new president.

"Along with the rest of our University family, Dana and I are extremely excited to welcome Dr. Frampton, Tonya, and their family to the University of Dubuque," President Bullock said. "Travis is the perfect choice for this moment in UD's present and future. He is smart, kind, faithful, a great listener, and an established higher-education leader. We are genuinely happy for the Framptons and for the University of Dubuque, as well as for the larger Dubuque community."