Meet President Tice

Following a nationwide search, Jared R. Tice, Ed.D., was named the 18th president of Capital University in June 2025.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the 18th president of Capital University. Drawn to a culture deeply rooted in its nearly 200-year Lutheran tradition and open to innovation, new ideas, and possibility, I believe Capital is uniquely positioned to prepare students, not just for success, but for purpose-filled lives of leadership,” Tice said.

“I am inspired by Capital’s mission and commitment to being a welcoming, student-ready university where learning is personal, values-driven, and formative,” he said. “As we look ahead, I am eager to walk alongside the CapFam – students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters, and our partners in Bexley, Columbus, and beyond – as we steward a shared future defined by academic excellence, purposeful action, and enduring optimism.” 

With extensive senior-level experience at small colleges for nearly two decades, Tice comes to Capital from Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., where he most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. Before that, he served Catawba as Senior Vice President for The College Experience and Dean of Students. He has also held positions at Barton College and West Virginia Northern Community College.

Steve Bahls, chair of the search committee and vice chair of Capital’s Board of Trustees, said Tice has a proven record as someone who will advance Capital’s reputation as a student-centered university that prepares its students to be leaders in their communities.

“Dr. Tice has a proven record as someone who will advance Capital’s reputation as a student-centered university that prepares its students to be leaders in their communities,” Bahls said. “He distinguished himself at Catawba College as an innovator, someone who can put strategy into action, and someone who is committed to being a leader in his community.”

A native of St. Mary’s, W. Va., Tice is a graduate of Concord University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership with a focus on Higher Education Administration and a graduate certificate in Higher Education Marketing from West Virginia University. He earned a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University in St. Louis and completed the prestigious Institute of Educational Management at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

He and his partner, Erica, an elementary school teacher, and their family look forward to becoming part of the Capital Family and the Columbus community.