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Dr. Brian Van Horn was named president of Mayville State University on March 28, 2018 and officially took office as the 17th president of MSU on July 1, 2018. Mayville State was founded in 1889 as a normal school, or a school that specializes in educating future teachers. Since then, the school has steadily grown and diversified into a comprehensive university. Student success is of utmost importance and a fundamental component of the historic and current mission as “The School of Personal Service.” 

Dr. Brian Van Horn was born in Benton, IL. He graduated from Benton Consolidated High School before beginning college at Southern Illinois University Carbondale as a student and baseball player. After attending SIUC for two years, Brian transferred to Murray State University which set the direction for his work in life.

He had the honor of serving at Murray State in various capacities as a student, which included one year as Student Government Association vice president, two years as SGA president, including a one year term over state presidents, and two terms on the Murray State Board of Regents. It was those life experiences and his desire to help others that led Brian into his current field of university administration.

Van Horn holds two degrees from Murray State University, a Bachelor of Science and Master of Public Administration. He earned a doctorate in leadership and policy studies from the University of Memphis.  

In 1998, Dr. Van Horn returned to Murray State as the director of the Paducah campus, the first regional campus. From 1998, he served in various positions, including assistant dean and then dean of Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, and lastly associate provost of Regional Academic Outreach. These experiences prepared him for the opportunities he has found in Mayville State University. A student focus with attention on access to education relates very closely to his previous educational experiences.

Dr. Van Horn has been very active in developing community partnerships by serving in many different organizations which include, but are not limited to, Paducah Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Paducah Economic Development Council Board of Directors, Purchase Area P16 Council, West Kentucky Workforce Investment Board, past board member of Community Financial Services Bank, and Purchase Area Diabetes Coalition. He also served as a founding member of the Juvenile Diabetes Walk in Paducah, which is one of the largest for the state of Kentucky. Van Horn is a member of the Traill County Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors.

Beyond the regional community, Dr. Van Horn is also a member of the International Association for Continuing Higher Education, and served as the organization’s president in 2014. He is currently an advisor to the association, actively speaking and participating in conferences. In addition, Van Horn serves as chair of the North Star Athletic Association President's Council.