Hamline University named a New York higher education leader and Twin Cities native as its 22nd president this week during a campus forum in St. Paul.

Mayme Hostetter is the current president of the Relay Graduate School of Education, a private graduate school for teachers that is located in Manhattan and has a dozen locations around the U.S. and also offers online programs.

In its announcement Wednesday, Hamline officials said that Hostetter was selected from more than 90 candidates and “brings a proven background of excellence in educating teachers and commitment to student success to Hamline, Minnesota’s first university and a regional leader in education.”

Hostetter attended Kenwood School in Minneapolis and St. Paul Academy. She then attended Harvard University, graduating with honors and captaining the women’s rowing team. She taught middle and high school English before earning a master of education at Harvard. She later earned a doctor of education from Columbia University.

In New York, she helped to found Hunter College’s “Teacher U,” which led to the 2011 creation of the Relay Graduate School of Education, which has roots in the charter school movement. Hostetter was named Relay’s president in 2018.“I’ve known Hamline since I was a kid,” Hostetter said in Wednesday’s announcement. “I have always had great respect and admiration for Hamline’s role in the Twin Cities as an engine for socio-economic mobility, and as a place that connects college to career. Hamline also has an unbeatable longstanding commitment to inclusion and equity, which are values that are deeply important to me personally and professionally.”

She added: “I had not looked at another job in 17 years because I am very proud of Relay, but Hamline is special,” she said. “Hamline is bringing me back home to the Twin Cities, and I feel at home among this community because our values align. Additionally, Hamline has made some really good and difficult decisions and, as a result, it is in a great spot to really flourish.”

Hostetter’s experience with Relay Graduate School of Education and her alignment with Hamline University’s mission made her an attractive candidate for the role, said Cindy Gregorson, chair of the presidential search committee and a board trustee.

As one of the founding directors of Relay, Hostetter helped the school grow to more than 5,000 students and 250 faculty members, Gregorson said Thursday.

“And I think what we were looking for at Hamline was someone who understood deeply who Hamline is and the uniquenesses of Hamline and what makes this special. But also someone who is able to help us think into the future about how we continue to innovate and move higher education forward to meet the changing needs of students and families in our current environment,” Gregorson said.

Hamline officials are excited about the perspective Hostetter can bring to the private liberal arts university and its 2,600 students, Gregorson said.

“I think the way she thinks about our board of trustees — the way she thinks about goals and setting strategic direction and moving things forward, but doing it in a way, again, that engages the whole university in that process and moves them forward — I think she brings that blend that we (are) really excited about as well,” Gregorson said.

Hostetter, who will assume her Hamline duties on July 1, succeeds Fayneese Miller, who retired last year. Kathleen Murray has been serving as acting/interim president.

Miller departed the private university after Hamline was embroiled in controversy when an art history professor was dismissed in 2023 after she showed a 14th century painting of the Prophet Muhammad to her class.

Citing the taboo of depicting the founder of Islam, a Muslim student objected to the university despite the instructor’s warnings and permission to opt out. In a vote, the Hamline faculty overwhelmingly called for Miller to resign. The professor later sued, and the litigation was privately settled last year.

“Dr. Hostetter brings the innovation and grit that we need right now at Hamline,” Doron Clark, chair of the Hamline Board of Trustees, said in Wednesday’s statement. “We are very impressed with her energy level, commitment to our values and the fresh ideas we know she will bring to Hamline.”