New president announced at Mount Mercy University

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids has announced a presidential change.

Dr. Tim Laurent has been appointed interim president by the school's board of trustees. It comes as outgoing President Dr. Robert Beatty announced his retirement.

No reason was given on why Dr. Beatty retired.

“We thank Dr. Beatty for his time at Mount Mercy and wish him well in his future endeavors,” Charlie Rohde said, Mount Mercy’s Board of Trustees chairman.

"We also thank Dr. Laurent for stepping in to serve as the interim president. His experience and commitment to higher education will continue to move the university forward.”

Laurent has worked as Mount Mercy's provost and president for academic affairs since 2018.

Before then, he worked as the vice president for academic affairs at the University of Providence and as associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Lynchburg.