Dr. Dycus has spent 15 years working in learning communities and ministry settings, including the past six years at 91����Ƶ. She served as dean of students from 2019-2023 and as vice president of student affairs and dean of students from 2023-2024 before being promoted to her current role where she oversees the Student Life, DEI, and Athletics departments—and nurtures a co-curricular vision of social accountability, holistic well-being, and academic success for all students.

Dr. Dycus’ selection as interim president was approved by unanimous vote from the 91����Ƶ Board of Trustees at a meeting on March 26. The decision followed a national search process that began after Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, 91����Ƶ’s ninth president and first woman president, announced her retirement in October 2024, effective June 30, 2025. The Interim President Search committee included diverse representation from across the 91����Ƶ community and was co-chaired by Dr. Jim Leaman ’86, associate professor of business and director of the business and leadership program, and Jane Hoober Peifer ‘75, MDiv ‘98, vice chair of the board.

“Shannon has proven her outstanding ability to set vision, listen well, and execute the best way forward as an 91����Ƶ administrator, and she is a trusted and gifted spiritual leader,” said Peifer. “Shannon is committed to preparing 91����Ƶ students to be peacebuilders in the world, and her collaborative and decisive leadership is needed in this climate of ever-changing higher education realities.”

“Despite the headwinds in higher education, 91����Ƶ has established terrific momentum,” said Manuel (Manny) Nuñez ‘94, chair of the board. “A key piece of our success standing out in the world as peacebuilders is achieving academic excellence while maintaining fidelity to our Anabaptist faith tradition. Shannon brings both spiritual depth and strategic vision to the role of interim president—qualities that will serve 91����Ƶ well in this season of opportunity.”

“I have always seen my own call to lead communities, in both education and ministerial contexts, toward our growth and becoming in relationship with each other and God,” said Dr. Dycus. “I look forward to leading 91����Ƶ through this transitional moment and continuing its commitment to a values-based education that inspires achievement and compassion.”

Dr. Dycus has “made it a priority to support 91����Ƶ students as they arrive on campus and to navigate barriers in their education” since 2019 when she created and led the C.A.R.E. Team, a proactive and coordinated response to addressing students and their well-being. In 2020 and 2024, she was awarded Department of Justice sexual violence prevention grants to fund 91����Ƶ’s Safer Together office. She has worked with 91����Ƶ Counseling Services to increase staffing and training for mental health support, and has been a staunch student advocate for peaceful responses to global injustices.

Dr. Dycus serves as a board member for Eastern Mennonite School and On the Road Collaborative. She is a Women in Leadership advisory board member for Mennonite Church USA. Prior to her time at 91����Ƶ, Dr. Dycus served as an academic adviser and adjunct faculty member at Franklin University of Ohio (Indianapolis campus) and as co-pastor at First Mennonite Church in Indianapolis.

She received her doctor of ministry in public theology from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, a master of divinity from Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, and her BA degree in middle and secondary education from Butler University.

Rooted in the values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and an active faith shaped by Anabaptist-Mennonite beliefs and practices, 91����Ƶ offers undergraduate, graduate and seminary degrees that prepare students to serve and lead in a global context. A leader among faith-based universities, 91����Ƶ was founded in 1917 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and has a site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; students can study in person or online.

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