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President Bryon L. Grigsby ’90 P'22 P'26 P'29

Quick Facts about our President

Since becoming President in 2013, Bryon Grigsby has been leading Moravian University and Moravian Theological Seminary in our pursuit of academic access and innovation. Here are a few facts you should know: 

• He’s an alum! A class of 1990 graduate, to be exact.
• He's a visionary. Check out our Strategic Thinking Plan.
• He’s an innovator. In 2024 Moravian was named an Apple Distinguished School for the 3rd time.
• He’s really an Apple guy. Did you know every full-time, first-year undergraduate and transfer student (taking classes mostly on campus) are issued a MacBook Pro laptop, iPad, Apple Pencil and Apple Watch?
• He’s a dog person. Be on the lookout for the President’s greyhound Benny!
• And he believes in community. That’s what Heritage Day is all about.
• He's Moravian's biggest cheerleader, read his update from fall 2025: Moravian University 
  President’s Report .

President's Biography

Bryon L. Grigsby ’90 P'22 P'26 P'29 returned to his alma mater and began his tenure as the 16th president of Moravian University and Moravian Theological Seminary on July 1, 2013. Since then, he has led Moravian through a series of strategic initiatives that have strengthened academic programs, upgraded facilities, and significantly enhanced the university’s technology infrastructure. Under his leadership, Moravian College officially became Moravian University on July 1, 2021.

One of Grigsby’s earliest priorities was integrating technology into the classroom to deepen and personalize learning for students and faculty. He launched a program to issue a MacBook Pro® and an iPad® to all undergraduate students entering in the fall of 2014, supporting a “flipped classroom” model in which students access lectures and content outside of class and work more directly with faculty during class time. Moravian also implemented a state-of-the-art wireless mesh network to support collaboration and interactive learning across campus. In 2023, Moravian expanded this technology suite by providing Apple Watch® devices to students, further enhancing access to academic, wellness, and campus resources. In 2024, Moravian was named an Apple Distinguished School for the third time, and in 2025, Grigsby launched Bootlebox, a program that makes artificial intelligence tools available to all students as part of Moravian’s commitment to preparing graduates for a rapidly changing world.

“Building Community” was the theme of Grigsby’s inauguration, and it has remained central to his leadership. Moravian has enhanced its new-student orientation program with a focus on community, traditions, and engagement. The university created Winterfest, a campus festival featuring games, food, and activities, and launched Hounds Around the Grounds, which added outdoor seating, games, and hammocks across campus to encourage connection and informal learning.

In fall 2016, Moravian held its first Heritage Day, bringing students, faculty, and staff together to celebrate the institution’s long history before going out into the community. That year, the Moravian community contributed 2,390 hours of service to 27 nonprofit organizations throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Grigsby has been deeply engaged in the wider community. He previously served as a board member of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation and is a member of the Bethlehem Rotary Club. In 2026, he was named one of the Most Influential People in the Lehigh Valley by The Morning Call.

Under Grigsby’s leadership, Moravian has strengthened its internship program with new seminar structures and more rigorous assessment, and has expanded its academic offerings. The university has added five-year undergraduate/graduate business programs and a health sciences track that leads to graduate study in athletic training, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. In 2024, Moravian opened the School of Professional Studies & Innovation to serve adult and professional learners seeking to complete undergraduate degrees or pursue graduate degrees and certificates. Moravian’s graduate programs have launched an accelerated post-baccalaureate nursing program, secured Pennsylvania Department of Education approval for an M.Ed. in Special Education, and added a Doctor of Athletic Training, a Master of Science in Athletic Training, and a Master of Science and doctorate in Speech-Language Pathology, including the first and only SLPD–MBA dual degree option in the nation. In fall 2025, Grigsby announced the launch of the Aviation Management program, with classes beginning in fall 2026.

A strong advocate of independent higher education, Grigsby served as a board member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). He was a member of the Chronicle of Higher Education Book Club, which examines important issues in higher education, and he is an active member of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). In June 2014, he presented “College, Reinvented” at a national media conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by CIC and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).

Fundraising and capital improvements have accelerated under Grigsby’s leadership. In spring 2016, Moravian unveiled its Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences Center, featuring advanced classrooms and equipment and housing a St. Luke’s Health Network Sports Clinic that fosters collaboration between clinicians and faculty in educating graduate students. The John Makuvek turf field for soccer and lacrosse opened for competition in September 2016, and the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences, home to cutting-edge labs and classrooms for nursing, public health, informatics, and undergraduate health sciences opened in fall 2017. In 2025 Moravian also completed a $46 million renovation of the Haupert Union Building (HUB), creating a student center focused on wellness that became the first Wellness-certified building in the Lehigh Valley and just the second in Pennsylvania.

On the fundraising front, the endowment has grown to more than $180 million during Grigsby’s tenure. In October 2022, the university publicly launched its comprehensive campaign, Lighting the Way, which is closing in on $100 million raised, well beyond its original $75 million goal.

Moravian’s enrollment has grown substantially during Grigsby’s tenure. The university continues to attract highly accomplished students from across the nation and around the world, and its graduate programs and the Seminary have consistently exceeded enrollment goals. In fall 2024, Moravian broke its own enrollment record set in fall 2023. With full-time enrollment increasing 51 percent since 2014, Moravian is the fastest-growing university in the region.

In July 2021, President Grigsby, Moravian University, Moravian Theological Seminary, and Lancaster Theological Seminary began formally exploring the combination of these historic institutions. In fall 2022, Moravian opened an office on the Lancaster Theological Seminary campus to support students in online degree completion programs as well as graduate business and certificate offerings. In August 2025, Moravian announced the finalized acquisition of Lancaster Theological Seminary and the official formation of the Moravian University School of Theology. In 2026, the university placed a strategic emphasis on expanding University Partnerships, forging collaborations with leading organizations in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.

President Grigsby has played an active role in the effort that led to Moravian Church Settlements—Bethlehem being designated the 26th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the United States in July 2024. Moravian University is only the second university in the country and the eighth in the world to be part of a UNESCO World Heritage designation. In April 2025, Grigsby announced the opening of the Institute for Moravian History and World Heritage at Moravian University. The Institute supports scholarly research, public programming, and academic partnerships through conferences; degree and certificate programs; and collaborations with institutions such as the Moravian Archives.

Before returning to Moravian, Grigsby served from 2008 to 2013 as senior vice president and vice president for academic affairs at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. From 2000 to 2008, he served at Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, as assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center, dean of graduate and professional programs, vice president for strategic implementation and professional programs, and ultimately provost and chief operating officer.

In the classroom, Grigsby has regularly taught courses in his areas of expertise, including composition, Chaucer, Shakespeare, medieval and early modern literature, and the history of medicine and disease. As a scholar, he is the author of Pestilence in Medieval and Renaissance English Literature and co-editor (with Stephen Harris) of Misconceptions of the Middle Ages, both published by Routledge, and he has contributed to The Chaucer Encyclopedia. He has served as general editor of the online journal Medica and was a founding member and inaugural president of Medica: The Society for the Study of Health and Healing in the Middle Ages. He has served as an expert source for The Washington Post on cultural interpretations of disease in relation to SARS and has published articles in Shakespeare Magazine, the Writing Lab Newsletter, the Modern Language Association’s Teaching Medicine and Literature, the Connecticut Review, and Essays in Medieval Studies.

Grigsby received a B.A. from Moravian University, an M.A. from Wake Forest University, and a Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago, specializing in medieval literature, early modern literature, and the history of medicine. In 2014, he completed Harvard University’s New Presidents Seminar.

Updated 2/26