Dr. Rachel Hosler was appointed Vice President for Student Affairs on September 4, 2023. Dr. Hosler’s responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the campus experience for students including commuter, international and residential life, campus ministry, campus law enforcement, student counseling, and Title IX-related policies and procedures for 2,300 students seeking an education devoted to their whole-person development into servant leaders in a values-based environment aligned with the Judeo-Christian tradition and the charism of the University’s founding congregation, the Brothers of Christian Instruction (F.I.C.). She continues to serve as Secretary of the Board of Directors, Walsh University, in a role she has held since 2020.
Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Hosler served as the inaugural Walsh University Chief of Staff, serving the President’s Cabinet where she was dedicated to cross-enterprise initiatives lending her expertise to a wide-variety of collaborative efforts across Cav Nation.
She has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education with extensive knowledge and involvement in student development and experiential learning. In 2016, she was instrumental in the design and launch of Walsh University’s Office of Experiential Learning with the goal to reinforce student learning by applying education in real-world settings to better prepare students for post-graduation employment.
She served as the Associate Dean of Experiential Learning and supervised the offices of Global Learning, Service-Learning and the Career Readiness and Development Center coordinating their efforts for a more strategic alignment of resources and mission. These programs are recognized as ‘high impact’ areas because they embed work experiences into the curriculum through internships, practicum experiences, field-work, research, service learning and global programs. New offerings under Dr. Hosler’s leadership as Associate Dean include academic programs in Latin America, a Peace Corps prep program, a Leaders in Social Justice program, and a scholars learning community for underrepresented students. Under her guidance, the Office of Global Learning added 20 new programs and doubled the number of Walsh students studying abroad each year in more than 13 countries.
As a regional leader with the NAFSA: Association of International Educators for six years, she received the George Hertich Advocacy Award in 2021. She was recognized twice as the Mentor of the Year, having earned the honor in 2012 and 2021. She was named a Crain’s Cleveland Business Magazine 2019 Notable Women of the Year and was honored as a member of the 2019 class of ystark! Twenty Under 40 professional leaders. Dr. Hosler serves on the Board of Directors of the North Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce as the Board Chair.
Dr. Hosler earned both a Bachelor of Arts in Education and Master of Arts in Counseling and Human Development from Walsh University, and her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University of Saint Louis, Missouri.
