Dr. Melanie Bishop, Ed.D. - Missouri Baptist University

Dr. Bishop is the Vice President for Graduate Affairs and Professional Studies and has served in academic leadership at MBU for over 10 years. Dr. Bishop also oversees the Office of Online Learning and MBU’s Regional Learning Centers. Dr. Bishop is passionate about leading faculty and staff to provide excellent instruction and student-centered systems, processes, and support for non-traditional learners.

Previously, Dr. Bishop served as the Dean of MBU’s School of Education where she led undergraduate and graduate education, counseling, and leadership programs, guiding them to successful accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Dr. Bishop is also a professor in the College of Education where she teaches in our Ed.D. Higher Education Leadership program.

After five years as dean, Dr. Bishop assumed the role of Associate Vice President for Graduate Affairs where she led the graduate advising team, establishing a system for tracking graduate retention data. Dr. Bishop was also instrumental in starting our Master of Social Work program which recently received full accreditation with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

Dr. Bishop also works closely with President Ross and the cabinet members in the implementation of the institution’s strategic plan. She was influential in the creation of the plan, and she leads the communication and ongoing reporting of the plan’s progress to internal and external stakeholders.

As a product of Christian higher education having received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Southwest Baptist University, Dr. Bishop has personally experienced the transformative power of attending a Christian university. She went on to receive her M.S. in Curriculum and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Lindenwood University. Dr. Bishop has completed postgraduate work at Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. Melanie resides in O’Fallon, Missouri, with her husband, Brian, and two young adult sons, Roman and Dane.