Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D. 

President of Davenport University

Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., became president of Davenport University, a private nonprofit university founded in 1866 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2009. 

Under his leadership, Davenport has implemented quality measures that have elevated its academic programming, student support, market position and financial strength. Davenport’s graduation rate has increased 200% since his arrival. Student retention and satisfaction, as well as philanthropic giving, are at all-time highs. 

This focus on outcomes earned Davenport the Michigan Performance Excellence Award, which recognizes high performance based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. Davenport is the first university in Michigan to earn this recognition. In 2021, Davenport received the national American Council on Education/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation. 

Dr. Pappas has 50 years of experience in higher education, including 36 as a college and university president. Prior to joining Davenport in 2009, he served as president of National-Louis University (NLU) in Chicago, Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland. 

Among his honors and achievements, Dr. Pappas received the University of Michigan’s Norman C. Harris Alumni Award and the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations’ Pacesetter Award. In 2016, Insight Into Diversity honored Dr. Pappas with its Giving Back Award. He is consistently listed among “West Michigan’s 200 Most Influential Leaders” in Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. 

He served for two years as the Chair of the Council of Presidents for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), within the NCAA’s Division II. He currently serves on the board for The Right Place, Inc., and is a participant in the West Michigan Talent First initiative. He also serves on the boards for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the Michigan Education Trust. He served as chair of the board of Michigan Independent Colleges and Universities (MICU) and continues to be a committed member. 

His past board commitments include serving on the board for the American Council on Education (ACE) and as chair of the board of both the Heart of West Michigan United Way and the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. 

A native of Michigan, Dr. Pappas earned his doctorate degree in higher, adult and continuing education and master’s degree in higher education and business management from the University of Michigan. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Eastern Michigan University. 

Dr. Pappas is currently one of the longest-serving presidents of any college or university in the state of Michigan, serving 16 years as president of Davenport University.