Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson Higher Education Leader Graduate Fellowship

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Honoring Excellence in Educational Leadership: The Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson Graduate Fellowship

Bay Path University proudly introduces the inaugural Melissa Morriss-Olson Emerging Higher Education Leader Fellows: Mercedes Rivero and Sean McNair.

Rivero, Assistant Dean at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and McNair, Education Coordinator at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Program Director at Hunter College, CUNY, are accomplished leaders driving innovation, inclusion, and change in higher ed. They carry forward Dr. Morriss-Olson’s legacy with purpose and vision.

Bay Path University proudly announces a gift from the family of Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson and Glenn Olson to establish the Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson Higher Education Leader Graduate Fellowship. This newly endowed fellowship marks a historic moment as Bay Path’s first-ever graduate-level endowed fund, dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders in higher education.

The fellowship provides merit-based financial support to graduate students enrolled in the EdD in Educational Leadership - Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Studies (HELOS) program. This prestigious program is widely recognized for its innovative approach to preparing future leaders in higher education. The fellowship prioritizes students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, scholarly research, and community service, with the goal of fostering innovative leadership in colleges and universities.

A Legacy of Leadership

Dr. Melissa Morriss-Olson's impact on Bay Path University spans nearly two decades of visionary leadership, beginning in 2006 when she joined the institution as founding dean of the graduate school.

A nationally recognized higher education thought leader, Dr. Morriss-Olson has built a reputation as a creative academic entrepreneur. During her tenure as Provost (2010–2020), she led the re-engineering of Bay Path's learning community, including the development of the Thumbprint—the university's distinguishing educational aspirations—and the signature We Empower Learners and Leaders (WELL) program. Under her leadership, the institution launched over 40 innovative academic programs, increasing graduate program net tuition revenue by approximately $30 million. She also led planning efforts that secured more than $6 million in external grant funding, resulting in transformational change across the institution. In recognition of these accomplishments, Dr. Morriss-Olson was appointed Provost Emerita in 2020.

Dr. Morriss-Olson is the author of three books, including Ingenious Leadership: Creating Solutions to Wicked Problems in Higher Education (2025). She currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Higher Education Leadership and Founding Director of both the doctoral program in Higher Education Leadership and Organizational Studies (HELOS) and the Center for Higher Education Leadership and Innovative Practice (CHELIP). Complementing her teaching and scholarship, she launched and hosts IngenioUs, a podcast drawing more than 30,000 listeners globally and exploring the pressing and provocative topics reshaping higher education through conversations with university presidents, authors, and thought leaders.