Notre Dame of Maryland University names its first new president in 12 years

Notre Dame of Maryland University has named Abagail Van Vlerah to be its 15th president, as the private Catholic college in North Baltimore confronts enrollment challenges and financial headwinds.

Van Vlerah will begin her presidency on July 6, replacing Marylou Yam, its president of 12 years. Yam oversaw dramatic changes at the institution to stem revenue and enrollment losses, including acquiring an integrative health university last fall and admitting men in 2022.

Van Vlerah is cut from a similar cloth, according to a university press release.

“At my core, my vision for higher education is one that is unapologetically mission-driven and sufficiently nimble to meet a rapidly changing world,” Van Vlerah said in a statement. “Institutions must reassert their value by clearly articulating how they educate the whole person, intellectually, ethically, spiritually, and practically, while embracing innovation that expands access and relevance.”

Van Vlerah comes to Notre Dame from Manchester University, a private, religious college in Indiana, where she is vice president for student success and institutional strategy.

At Manchester, Van Vlerah oversaw 40% enrollment growth, according to Notre Dame’s announcement on Monday. She also increased first-year retention by 7% in one year.

Unlike Manchester, Notre Dame is primarily educates graduate-level students. Between 2014 and 2024, the most recent federally reported data, the university’s enrollment has fallen 21%, to about 1,675 students.

Van Vlerah said she is a practicing Catholic and graduate of a Catholic women’s college; Notre Dame enrolled only women until 2023.

“What attracted me to Notre Dame of Maryland University was the opportunity to lead an institution where faith, justice, education and transformation are not aspirational ideals, but lived commitments,” she said in a statement.

Before Manchester, Van Vlerah held positions at Long Island University, Bowling Green University in Ohio, Mercy College in New York, Trine University and Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, and the University of Wyoming.

She holds a doctorate in American cultural studies from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree in American studies from the University of Wyoming and a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College.

Members of the university’s search committee appreciated Van Vlerah’s “strong track record of leading student-focused initiatives and her success in aligning institutional strategies to measurable, achievable outcomes,” said Charmaine Krohe, a trustee and chair of the committee.

“Abby’s leadership style reflects a servant’s heart and a deep commitment to social responsibility, inclusive communities, and transformative education — essential elements of the charism of our foundresses, the School Sisters of Notre Dame," Krohe said.

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