Virginia (Ginny) Arthur began her appointment as president of Metropolitan State University in July 2016. She joined Metropolitan State in 2012 as provost, where she co-chaired the university's strategic planning process, forged new baccalaureate completion partnerships with metro area colleges and created the Center for Faculty Development.

Previously, she served the University of Northern Iowa as associate provost for faculty affairs from 2009 to 2012, and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University from 1985 to 2009 where she served as chairperson of the Management Department for seven years, chair and vice chair of the joint faculty assembly, and faculty member for over 20 years.

She holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Syracuse University and a juris doctor (JD) degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. She has presented at numerous conferences and authored dozens of publications.