Merodie A. Hancock is an American academic administrator who has served as president of Thomas Edison State University since March 5, 2018. Hancock had previously served as the 4th president of Empire State College from 2013 to 2018.
Hancock has been involved in several professional organizations, including the Inside Track Advisory Board,[9] the Distance Education Commission Advisory Group, Council of College and Military Educators, League for Innovation, National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services (past president) and the National Commission on Online Learning Benchmarking Study. She has also served as an external reviewer for several universities and participated in numerous self-studies, reports and evaluation visits for regional accreditors, the Department of Defense, state approving agencies and specialized accrediting organizations, and has made presentations at professional conferences and meetings on topics such as strategic partnerships, pricing models and innovative teaching best practices.[10]
In 2019 she served on the Innovation subcommittee of the United States Department of Education’s negotiated rulemaking committee to develop proposed regulations related to several higher education practices and issues, including accreditation; distance learning and educational innovation, TEACH grants; and participation by faith-based educational entities.[11] Later that year, Hancock was a featured speaker at South by Southwest.[12]
In 2020, Hancock was appointed corporate secretary to the Greater Trenton board of directors.[15] She also serves on the board of the New Jersey Association of State Colleges and Universities [16] and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.[17]