Dean of Student Engagement
- Employer
- Luther College
- Location
- Decorah, Iowa
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- Executive Administration Jobs
- Deans
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Luther College
Dean of Student Engagement
Luther College (Decorah, Ia.) invites applications, expressions of interest, and nominations of candidates in its search for the newly created position of Dean of Student Engagement. Luther seeks a student-centric and collaborative leader with a deep and abiding commitment to the College’s mission and values.
The Dean will join Luther at an unprecedented time in higher education and the institution’s history. Reporting to a new Provost, the Dean will work in concert with President Jenifer K. Ward, a highly dedicated and student-focused faculty and staff, a bright and engaged student body, and a vibrant and supportive campus community. The Dean will have strong and energized partners in support of student success.
Luther enrolls about 1,800 students and is ranked among the nation’s top liberal arts institutions. The College is a Phi Beta Kappa campus nationally recognized for its engaging Paideia program, the number of students awarded prestigious Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships, and the percentage of students who study abroad. Luther’s identity as a college in the Lutheran tradition (ELCA) and its membership in the Network of ELCA Colleges and Universities (NECU) mark it as a community that is both rooted and open. Neither sectarian nor secular, Luther College shapes lives of meaning and purpose in service to the neighbor.
Luther College’s central campus is situated on nearly 200 acres of limestone bluff country, and in the heart of Decorah. Decorah is recognized regularly and on national platforms for its outstanding quality of life. With a population of 8,000, the town offers plentiful recreation; a charming downtown with numerous restaurants, coffeehouses, craft breweries, an independent bookstore, and a nationally recognized museum of Norwegian-American culture; natural beauty; and a close-knit community—all while providing the conveniences of a city many times its size. The town is an extension of campus.
The Dean of Student Engagement position is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the reimagining of the academic affairs and student life structure at Luther College. The Dean will report to the newly created Provost position. The Dean will have oversight of seven units and will lead a staff of 37 with seven direct reports. The Dean will address the following opportunities and challenges: support and engage the student body through transitions; partner, communicate, and collaborate across the College in support of student success; bring vision and innovation to programming and outreach; champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and support and develop staff.
The Dean of Student Engagement will bring deep experience engaging with college students coupled with a forward-looking lens, a strong work ethic, and a collegial spirit. The successful candidate will possess a master’s degree with grounding in student development theory or a related field in student affairs. The full position description is available at: https://assets.storbecksearch.com/files/resources/luthercoll-studentengagement-pd.pdf
For best consideration, please send all confidential nominations, inquiries, and expressions of interest as soon as possible to:
Julie E. Tea, Partner
Lindsay Allison, Senior Associate
Storbeck Search
For more information, please visit Luther College’s home page at www.luther.edu.
Luther College seeks to build a culturally diverse community of faculty, staff, and students. Luther College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
Organization
Located in the small northeast Iowa town of Decorah, Luther College is an undergraduate liberal arts institution of about 2,500 students. The college is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Founded in 1861 by Norwegian immigrants, Luther offers more than 60 majors and preprofessional and certificate programs leading to the bachelor of arts degree. Its mission statement emphasizes faith, leadership, and community service. Luther College provides equal opportunity for all qualified persons in its educational programs and activities.
After discussions extending over several years, the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church in America decided on October 10, 1857, to found a college and began to gather subscriptions for a building fund. In the same year, it also decided that, until such time as suitable buildings could be erected, students should be sent to Concordia College and Seminary in St. Louis, and that a Norwegian professorship should be established there. The first three students went to St. Louis in 1858 and five more followed the next year.
Luther College moves to Decorah
In the summer of 1862 the school was transferred to Decorah; its first home was the building, still standing, at the northwest corner of Winnebago and Main streets. The first building on the college campus was "Main," dedicated October 14, 1865.
The present Main building is the third "Main" to stand on the same site, the two preceding having been destroyed by fire in 1889 and 1942. Though college work was begun in 1861, the Civil War, illness, and other causes left none of that year's freshman class to graduate in 1865. The first graduating class, therefore, was that of 1866.
The classical curriculum established by the founders of the college was changed in 1932 when the requirement that all students take both Greek and Latin was dropped.
For 75 years the school admitted men only; then in 1936 Luther College became coeducational. When the institution celebrated its centennial in 1961, it had an enrollment of 1,357 and a staff of 74 full-time and 12 part-time teachers.
Student body enrollment expands
Expansion has marked Luther's second century with the student body at 2,545 in the fall of 2005. Faculty have increased to 175. The college has expanded physically since 1960 with an extensive building program that included a new union, library, science hall, field house and athletic complex, three residence halls, a music building, an art and theatre building, and a center for worship and performing arts.
Farwell Hall, a residence hall, and a major expansion of the field house, now renamed the Regents Center, were completed in early 1991. The Franklin W. Olin Building, was completed in Fall 1995. Baker Village, a townhouse-style residential complex, opened in Fall 1999. The Center for the Arts opened in Fall 2002.
The college has also expanded its academic program to include the professional areas of nursing and social work, several preprofessional programs, and a study center in England—all based in Luther's commitment to the liberal arts.
I
n the reforming spirit of Martin Luther, Luther College affirms the liberating power of faith and learning. As people of all backgrounds, we embrace diversity and challenge one another to learn in community, to discern our callings, and to serve with distinction for the common good.
As a college of the church, Luther is rooted in an understanding of grace and freedom that emboldens us in worship, study, and service to seek truth, examine our faith, and care for all God’s people.
As a liberal arts college, Luther is committed to a way of learning that moves us beyond immediate interests and present knowledge into a larger world—an education that disciplines minds and develops whole persons equipped to understand and confront a changing society.
As a residential college, Luther is a place of intersection. Founded where river, woodland, and prairie meet, we practice joyful stewardship of the resources that surround us, and we strive to be a community where students, faculty, and staff are enlivened and transformed by encounters with one another, by the exchange of ideas, and by the life of faith and learning.
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