Azusa Pacific University announces Adam J. Morris, PhD, as its 18th president, effective July 1, 2022. APU’s Board of Trustees reached a unanimous decision, following a comprehensive nine-month search process led by the 14-member Presidential Search Committee.
Morris is a nationally recognized and accomplished senior administrator and lifelong advocate for Christian higher education. He joined Biola’s senior leadership team as Vice President in 2007 and currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Chief Transformation Officer, and Chief Institutional Advancement Officer. Morris’ distinguished 30-year career is marked by visionary leadership, stellar strategic planning skills, and significant advancement experience that has fueled organizational transformation and innovation and brought hundreds of millions of dollars in support of mission-focused endeavors.
The APU Search Committee worked with JobfitMatters’ search consultants Laura Coverstone and Ed Poff in this important process. Search Committee Chair Lucie Moore shared: “JobfitMatters was a great partner in our search and wonderful to work with. Laura Coverstone has a deep understanding of the process and offered great advice. Ed Poff brought keen insight and wisdom to the SIMA process, which was very helpful to our committee in discerning the best candidate for APU.”
Dr. Morris is a uniquely gifted man of God who will bring both his Christ-centered vision for higher education and his transformational mindset to APU at a critically important turning point in this university’s history. His vast leadership, academic, financial, and relational expertise, along with a deep passion for and total commitment to our mission, are game changers for APU. Strategically focused on the critical needs of our students, and informed by deep analytics and the higher education marketplace, Dr. Morris will lead this God First university in a powerful and forward-thinking manner that fulfills our mission to cultivate disciples and scholars ready to impact the world for Christ.
“The call from God to join the APU community could not have been stronger and I am both humbled and honored to be invited to assume this sacred position of leadership,” said Morris. “APU has a long and rich history of faithfulness to mission so needed in today’s culture and an incredible academic reputation. The strength and vision of APU’s faculty, staff, and students will lead the way and I look forward to what God will accomplish in us and through us in the months and years to come.”