AHU Inaugurates Third President

In the presence of local and national dignitaries, students, alumni, and faculty on Feb. 15, 2024, AdventHealth University inaugurated C. Josef Ghosn, EdD, FACHE, as its third president and CEO.

“Today is a special day for me and for my family, but most importantly, this is an important moment for our students, who are at the heart of all we do,” Dr. Ghosn shared with more than 500 guests at Forest Lake Seventh-day Adventist Church in Apopka this afternoon. “AHU is a very special place, where we have a unique opportunity to develop highly skilled health professionals who will practice health care as a ministry and make a tremendous impact on the lives of patients and their families.”

Dr. Ghosn, who joined AHU in May 2023, has extensive leadership experience in health care administration. Most recently, he served as vice president of strategic planning for AdventHealth’s Multistate Division and prior to that, as AdventHealth Florida Division’s senior vice president for strategic planning. Dr. Ghosn was a tenured professor and associate dean of academic affairs at Atlantic Union College. He also served as a professor of business and education at Southern Adventist University and as an adjunct professor of healthcare administration at AdventHealth University. Dr. Ghosn holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a master of business administration degree with a Healthcare Administration emphasis from Andrews University.

“This is a special milestone in the history of AdventHealth University,” said Randy Haffner, PhD, president and CEO of AdventHealth Florida and chair of AHU’s Board of Trustees. “As we inaugurate Dr. C. Josef Ghosn, we begin a pivotal time in the life of this institution. New degrees and workforce certificates continue to be added, student enrollment is increasing, plans for expanding the current campuses are under way, and new campuses are being explored – ambitious growth plans to help our nation solve nurse and provider shortages. This means more caregivers can fulfill their calling to provide hope and healing and join a growing workforce specially trained in whole-person care.”

AHU’s former presidents are Edwin I. Hernandez, PhD, and David Greenlaw, DMin.

As at many official university ceremonies, faculty and presenters donned regalia and a transfer of the mace and presidential medallion took place. Mentors, colleagues, and students provided words of hope, sharing stories from throughout Dr. Ghosn’s career.

AdventHealth University, with locations in Orlando and Denver, was founded in 1992 and has graduated more than 10,000 students who live the healing values of Christ locally and globally. Today, the university is poised for significant increase in student enrollment. It also maintains ambitious plans to begin expanding its Orlando campus footprint and open an additional Florida location in the next 12 months.