Timothy L. Hall became the 12th president of Mercy College in May 2014. One of his most important priorities has been to improve the success of Mercy students. In his first three and a half years, freshmen retention improved by nearly ten percent and graduation rates increased by more than twenty percent. Since Hall’s arrival at Mercy, the College has been recognized by the White House as a “Bright Spot in Hispanic Education,” received reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and completed construction of a new, 350-bed residence hall. In addition, the College has launched an ambitious program to further enhance student success through the implementation of a variety of macro-level strategies referred to as the Mercy Success Toolkit. The Toolkit consists of innovative practices such as intrusive advising, course redesign, and guided pathways to success (GPS).
Hall previously served for seven years as president of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, which, under Hall’s leadership was recognized as one of the Great Colleges to Work For by The Chronicle of Higher Education. A focus on the success of APSU students, including persistence and graduation, saw degrees awarded increase by 27% from 2007 to May 2014, significantly more than might have been expected from corresponding enrollment increases. The six-year graduation rate increased by 25% during the same period. Prior to his service as a college president, Hall was a law professor and subsequently an associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Mississippi from 1989 to 2007. Hall received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, summa cum laude, from the University of Houston. He followed this degree with two years of graduate work in the religious studies department at Rice University in Houston, Texas, before receiving his juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Texas Law School in 1983.
