Mount Vernon Nazarene University President Henry W. Spaulding II announced the appointment of Eric Stetler to the position of vice president for Graduate and Professional Studies and dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies as of 1 July.

“I am confident that Rev. Eric Stetler will provide informed, disciplined, and visionary leadership for the Graduate and Professional Studies program," Spaulding said. "He understands the importance of GPS for the future of MVNU.”

Serving MVNU since 2010, Stetler’s tenure in the school of GPS began in 2014. He has since provided oversight in marketing, enrollment, and student services. He currently serves as assistant professor of marketing.

“I am honored to serve in leadership of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies," Stetler said. "MVNU has a rich history of serving adult students and I believe GPS has great strengths. It will be a privilege to lead a talented team in GPS to develop new opportunities for growth. There is good work to do that represents an important part of MVNU’s mission.”

A graduate of what is now MVNU, Stetler returned to campus in 2010 as the assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions for Campus Visits and Events (2010-2014). Since that time, he also served as director of admissions for GPS (2014-2016), director of Student Services for GPS (2016-2018), and assistant professor of marketing (2017-2018). While at MVNU, Stetler has served on numerous committees and led campus-wide initiatives in recruitment, admissions, and retention. Stetler has also served on the President’s Advisory Committee since 2016.

Stetler graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Mount Vernon Nazarene College in 1999 in Christian education and later returned to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in 2014. He is currently earning his doctorate of business administration from Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Eric is married to Kerri, who works as a librarian at Wiggin Street Elementary School in Gambier, Ohio. Together they have four children, Riley (16), Trey (14), Evan (12), and Cora (8). The Stetlers have served in various ministry roles at Nazarene churches in Bowling Green, Gahanna, and Columbus, Ohio.

“MVNU has been an important part of my professional and personal life," Stetler said. "As a young undergraduate student I received a vocational foundation for life, and I met my wife, Kerri (Pressley ’99). As a graduate student, my views and values were again challenged and shaped through faculty and administration who truly believed in Christian higher education. I am excited to serve the students, faculty, and administration at MVNU as we seek to further an education that is distinctively Christian.” 

--Mount Vernon Nazarene University