Chris Olsen, Ph.D., has been named the 19 president of Northern Michigan University as of 3:21 p.m. October 16. He follows the 17 NMU President, Brock Tessman, who departed in July of this past year. Olsen is set to start the position on January 1, 2026.
“I would like to make a motion to approve Dr. Christopher J. Olsen as the next president for Northern Michigan University,” said Vice Chair Melissa Holmquist. “With the scheduled start date of January 1, 2026, and that Mr. Gavin Leach serves as Interim President until that date.”
There was a unanimous vote in support of Olsen.
“Many thanks to the presidential search committee, the members of the board, any faculty of students or anyone who had any involvement with the forums who brought us here,” said Trustee Venus Brown.
Board of Trustee Chair Stephen Young wanted to give a special thanks to Interim President Gavin Leach.
“I will start by thanking Interim President Gavin Leach, I’m not sure anyone outside this bubble know how much work he has put in,” said Board of Trustee Chair Young. “He has done a tremendous job and gave us a tremendous amount of stability that brought us here. I was looking for someone that is student centric and someone who was 100% committed to student success.”
According to his biography provided from NMU, Chris Olsen serves as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Indiana State University. Previous to his current position he was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for five years and Chairperson of the Department of History for fourteen. He earned his PhD at the University of Florida in 1996 in United States History, with minors in Colonial Latin America and Political Culture Theory. His previous degrees are from the University of Nebraska (MA, 1990) and North Dakota State University (BA, 1988). His academic work examines the history of the nineteenth- century United States, focusing on politics and political culture. Originally from North Dakota, he and his family lived in several parts of the United States before settling in Indiana. In spare time they enjoy hiking and traveling as much as possible.
