Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University will inaugurate David M. Bellar, PhD, as its fifth president during Inauguration Week, March 23-28. The weeklong celebration will honor the University’s Franciscan heritage and future vision through prayer services, community events and formal ceremonies. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University are invited to participate in this historic milestone.
The Board of Trustees announced Bellar’s appointment following a national search that drew approximately 40 candidates. Eight semifinalists were selected, followed by three finalists. Bellar assumed the presidency July 14, 2025.
Bellar joins FranU from the University of West Florida, where he served as dean of the Usha Kundu, MD College of Health. During his tenure, he secured a $6.68 million grant to enhance health education facilities, obtained scholarship funding and hospital space for immersive learning experiences, helped improve NCLEX pass rates to 98 percent in the School of Nursing, established the institution’s first Staff Council, supported partnerships with two major hospital systems for clinical placement expansion and developed a virtual cadaver laboratory to strengthen anatomy and physiology instruction.
Bellar earned a doctorate in exercise physiology from Kent State University, a master’s degree in secondary education from John Carroll University, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and life science chemistry from John Carroll University.