Natalie Harder is an American academic administrator serving as the 17th president of

Coker University Coker University is a private university in Hartsville, South Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Coker's sports teams, nicknamed the Cobras, compete in NCAA Divi ...

since 2020.

Life

Harder is from

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

. She completed a master's degree in finance from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. Harder received a Ph.D. in community college leadership from

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

. Harder was the executive director of the Erie Community College Foundation and the vice president of institutional advancement at Patrick & Henry Community College. From 2012 to May 29, 2020, she was the chancellor of

South Louisiana Community College South Louisiana Community College (SoLAcc) is a Public college, public community college in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was established in 1997 to provide academic and vocational training. Its service area includes Acadia Parish, Louisiana, Acadia ...

. In this role, she led the merger of the community and technical colleges to streamline operations and costs. During her tenure, enrollment increased from 6,100 students to over 18,000. On June 1, 2020, she became the 17th president of

. She is the first female in the role. In 2024, her contract was extended through 2030.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harder, Natalie Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) University at Buffalo alumni Carnegie Mellon University alumni Old Dominion University alumni Patrick & Henry Community College faculty South Louisiana Community College faculty Coker University faculty Women heads of universities and colleges Heads of universities and colleges in the United States 21st-century American women academics 21st-century American academics