CANTON -- The St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees announced Thursday that Kathryn A. Morris has been selected as the University’s 19th President.

She will replace the retiring William Fox. Fox has been SLU president since 2009.

Morris has most recently worked as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Butler University in Indiana.

“I am deeply honored to join this passionate, adventurous, and welcoming community,” said Morris. “From the academic reputation to the breadth of co-curricular opportunities for students, there were so many things that made St. Lawrence an attractive place to call home. I was particularly impressed with the proactive institutional planning, including the most recent Experience St. Lawrence Task Force work, and the true commitment I saw to diversity and inclusion.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizing the traditional campus welcome that would be expected by the Laurentian community proved impossible to do safely and in accordance with local and state health directives. The Presidential Search Committee plans to host small group opportunities to welcome the new president during the next month. These gatherings will be held in a virtual format and more information on these opportunities will be shared in the coming weeks.

Morris will move to Canton this summer with her husband, Brian Giesler, who is a member of the psychology department at Butler University. They have two children: a son, Logan, who is a senior at Augustana College, and a daughter, Erin, who is a sophomore at Butler University. They will be joined in Canton by their dog, Comet, who is a black lab mix rescue.