Lawrence P. Ward, GRD’11, who most recently served as vice president for learner success and dean of campus life at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, became the University of Hartford’s seventh president on July 1, 2024. He succeeds Stephen Mulready, who had served as acting president since the retirement of Hartford’s sixth president, Gregory Woodward, in 2023.

Dr. Ward earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut, his master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Michigan, and his doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, where he is a lecturer in Penn’s Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Ward is a 2023 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award and William B. Castetter Alumni Award of Merit from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and was honored with the Pillar of the Profession Award in 2021 by NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

At Babson, Dr. Ward played a central leadership role in shaping institutional priorities and strategic plans that have driven successful undergraduate and graduate student outcomes. During his 10-year tenure, Dr. Ward focused on seamlessly integrating the academic and co-curricular student experience, providing robust support structures for an increasingly diverse student body.