Lori E. Varlotta

Lori E. Varlotta
President of Antioch University
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 2025
Preceded byWilliam R. Groves
8th President of California Lutheran University
In office
September 2020 – May 2024
Preceded byChris Kimball
Succeeded byJohn Nunes
22nd President of Hiram College
In office
2014–2020
Personal details
EducationUniversity of Notre Dame (BA)
Syracuse University (MS)
Miami University (PhD)

Lori E. Varlotta is an American academic administrator who serves as the president of Antioch University. She previously served as president of Hiram College (2014–2020) and California Lutheran University (2020–2024).

Early life and education

Varlotta was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A first-generation college student, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Science in cultural foundations of education from Syracuse University, and PhD in educational leadership and feminist philosophy from Miami University.[1][2]

Career

Earlier in her career, she served in mid-level roles at Miami University (OH), the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, and Syracuse University. She held other senior leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and the University of San Francisco.

Before her presidencies, Varlotta spent 11 years at California State University, Sacramento, ultimately serving as senior vice president of planning, enrollment management, and student affairs.

Varlotta’s was president of Hiram College from 2014 to 2020, serving as the institution’s 22nd president.[3][4][5]

Varlotta left Hiram to serve as president of California Lutheran University, a private Hispanic-Serving Institution. She worked there from September 2020 to May 2024.[6]

Varlotta arrived at Cal Lutheran at the height of the global pandemic, at a time when the university was facing its first budget deficit and enrollment shortfall in decades.[7] In that same year, the university was dealing with major legal issues. It was being sued by some of its own students and employees[8] and was also warned of a forthcoming lawsuit by former U.S. congressman Elton Gallegly who was upset with the way the university was handling his archival materials.[9]

Varlotta resigned from the presidency at California Lutheran University "four months after a lopsided faculty vote of no confidence in her leadership."[10] The faculty "resolution ― approved by a 122-3 faculty vote ― decried Varlotta's handling of university finances and said the third-year president has 'eroded and divided' the university's 'historically close' community."[6][11]

Varlotta was named the 23rd president of Antioch University in May 2025.[12] She assumed office on August 11, 2025, succeeding Chancellor William R. Groves.[13] Varlotta oversees the university's operations across its four campuses, namely Antioch University Los Angeles and Antioch University Santa Barbara in California, Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire, and Antioch University Seattle in the state of Washington.[13]

Concurrently, Varlotta serves as the Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good (CCG).[13] Established in 2023 by Antioch University and Otterbein University, the CCG is a higher education system designed to affiliate private universities around a shared mission of democracy and social justice.[14] Upon beginning her tenure, Varlotta toured the university's campuses to assess institutional needs.[13]

Professional service

Varlotta has been involved in the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Voluntary System of Accountability,[15][16] the National Advisory Board for the Mandel Humanities Center at Cuyahoga Community College,[17] the National Advisory Board for the National Survey of Student Engagement,[18] and the American Council on Education’s (ACE) National Task Force on the Transfer and Award of Credit.[19] She also serves on the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities’ (NAICU) Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Varlotta has written and spoken about the role of the liberal arts in the 21st century, technology’s place in the classroom,[20] the college return on investment,[21] the concept of the glass cliff, and academic restructuring.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Hiram College | Lori Varlotta". www.hiram.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  2. ↑ "Penn Hills native to become first woman president of Hiram College in Ohio". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  3. ↑ "College President Makes the Case For Liberal Arts". ideastream. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  4. ↑ "Inside Higher Ed | Anxiety at Hiram: As final plan for "new liberal arts" is prepared, many students and faculty members fear for disciplines and their own futures at the college". Inside Higher Ed. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  5. ↑ "Hiram College | Varlotta to step down as Hiram College President". www.hiram.edu. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  6. 1 2 Biasotti, Isaiah Murtaugh and Tony. "Cal Lutheran University faculty vote no confidence in President Lori Varlotta". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  7. ↑ "Trial by Fire: CLU President Revisits Challenging First Year". Thousand Oaks Acorn. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  8. ↑ "They Were Accused of Wearing Blackface. Now They're Suing Their College". The Chronicle of Higher Education. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  9. ↑ "Judge reverses Gallegly v. CLU decision". Thousand Oaks Acorn. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  10. ↑ Murtaugh, Isaiah. "Embattled California Lutheran University President Lori Varlotta out". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  11. ↑ Staff, Acorn (2024-06-07). "Community reacts to CLU changes". Moorpark Acorn -. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  12. ↑ "Antioch University names Varlotta as its next president". Dayton Daily News. August 18, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Lori Erica Varlotta Assumes Office as President of Antioch University". Common Thread. Antioch University. August 11, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Lori Erica Varlotta Assumes Office as President of Antioch University and as Executive Vice President of the Coalition for the Common Good". Coalition for the Common Good. October 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Voluntary System of Accountability Summary" (PDF). Frostburg State University. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  16. ↑ "APLU's Voluntary System of Accountability" (PDF). California Association for Institutional Research. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  17. ↑ "National Advisory Board Meeting Held for Mandel Humanities Center". The News-Herald. 31 May 2019. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  18. ↑ "NSSE National Advisory Board Members". National Survey of Student Engagement. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  19. ↑ "Reimagining Transfer for Student Success". American Council on Education. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  20. ↑ "The New Liberal Arts: Where Mobile Technology Meets Mindful Technology". The EvoLLLution. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  21. ↑ "How College Leaders Can Articulate Higher Education ROI". Higher Ed Dive. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
  22. ↑ "What I Learned from an Academic Redesign". Higher Ed Dive. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
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