The Enquirer is identifying the most important people to watch in 2026 in Greater Cincinnati. Did we miss someone? Email Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com.
Colleen Hanycz, 59, president of Xavier University
Colleen Hanycz signed on as Xavier University president in July of 2021 during a time of great change.
She and her administration have responded to enrollment challenges and budget pressures by ramping up fundraising, cutting expenses, introducing new majors and establishing a new on-campus elementary school. Additionally, next fall, most juniors will be required to live on the Evanston campus, along with first- and second-year students.
Hanycz is a 2026 person to watch for all those reasons – and the university’s boldest recent move: building the first new medical school in Ohio in some five decades. Now under construction on the south edge of campus, the $109 million College of Osteopathic Medicine will open to students in the fall of 2027.
Who is Colleen Hanycz?
Hanycz began her academic life in her home country of Canada, after completing a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto and working as a securities litigator there.
She then signed on as an associate professor and assistant dean at Osgoode, leaving in 2008 to become principal (the head administrator) at Brescia University College in London, Ontario.
In 2015, Hanycz became the first female president of La Salle University, a Catholic institution in Philadelphia. At Xavier, she is the 35th president, and the first layperson and first woman in the job.
Hanycz and her husband, Peter, have an adult son and daughter. Another daughter died in an accident in 2017.
Here’s Hanycz’s take on enrollment
The Enquirer asked Hanycz what would help Xavier attract more students.
Transparency about tuition costs and scholarships will help, she said, with Xavier providing that to Ohio students with its new Musketeer Forever Scholars program.
“At the same time, students are seeking real-world, purpose-driven experiences, from internships and student-run ventures to hands-on research, study abroad, and service opportunities rooted in our Jesuit Catholic mission,” she said.
Offering those experiences, along with strong donor support, is positioning Xavier to attract more students in 2026, she said.
Here’s how the College of Osteopathic Medicine will fit in
Hanycz identified the coming medical school as her most exciting 2026 priority.
“It aligns perfectly with our mission of care and service by training physicians rooted in compassion and justice,” she said.
The school will address the need for more primary-care doctors with a “mission-driven, interprofessional learning environment,” she said.
Here’s what motivates Hanycz as Xavier’s top administrator
Hanycz called students her top motivator.
“Watching them grow into a ‘bigger life’ filled with purpose, confidence, and service is the greatest privilege of this role,” she said. “Seeing them become people for and with others inspires every decision we make as a university.”