Who Will LeadGustavus ACTS
It takes a village to manifest a vision. Here are just a few of the Gustavus leaders who will move us from dreaming to doing.
Brenda Kelly
Provost and Dean of the College
Excited about: The vision calls all of us to action. Gustavus faculty, staff, administrators, and students have a role in living into the vision statement and making that vision a reality.
Impressed by: the way the plan stretches us to reach beyond the Gustavus community on The Hill, to extend into the local, regional, and global community, and the way it allows our external partners to reach in.
“This is not a plan for the academic program or student life or advancement; this is a plan for all of us, and all members of the community are engaged.”
Kathi Tunheim
Vice President for Mission, Strategy, and Innovation; Board of Trustees Endowed Chair in Management and Leadership
Impressed by: the fact that this plan is more focused and concise than past strategic plans at Gustavus and others I have seen at other colleges and universities.
Already in progress: The faculty has worked diligently this past summer and fall to critically review our curriculum and infuse it with new ideas.
“We are going to stay rooted and committed to being a college of the ELCA, which positions us well to be a leading institution in helping address the great challenges of the world.”
Jesús Hernández Mejía
Associate Dean of Financial Aid
Excited about: Making Gustavus more affordable. What a difference the new scholarships make, particularly in our number of students from historically underrepresented groups.
Impressed by: Our good job commu- nicating with students this spring, the quick decision to reimburse students their room and board, to loan computers. It showed Gustavus really cares.
Will need: To keep our scholarships go- ing so that students can focus on getting a Gustavus education that will prepare them for the world.
In progress: Making plans for social distancing on campus.
“A lot of the direction we get comes from our students. We will be more of what our students want us to be.”
Tom Flunker
Director, Center for Inclusive Excellence
Excited about: The fact that we are on our toes, looking for ways to get better.
Impressed by: How the goals for Presi- dent’s Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are infused into the strategic plan. It holds us accountable.
Will need: Support that addresses the bigger constructs affecting historically underrepresented student groups. Schol- arships don’t relieve all of the pressures of college life.
In progress: Our Black male students, one of the least connected groups, have started a group.
“Are we going to back off of diversity, equity, and inclusion endeavors when it’s no longer convenient? We need our stu- dents and alumni to keep being vocal.”
Valerie Banschbach
Associate Provost and Dean of Sciences and Education
Excited about: The new Challenge Sem- inar. It connects the dots of a student’s experiences through the general educa- tion curriculum. It’s where they’ll apply all they’ve learned.
Impressed by: This living strategic plan. We interact with it on a daily basis. It truly guides decision-making.
Will need: Time to develop new courses, patience as we experiment, and vigilance to make sure we increase equity for dis- advantaged students.
In progress: We are adapting to the chal- lenges of COVID-19 in the short term and asking how we can turn this adapta- tion work into further innovation.
“The new Challenge Curriculum will leverage interdisciplinary connections and highlight the best of Gustavus.”
Andrew Coston
Executive Director, Center for Career Development
Excited about: Watching students leave with the skills to go out and navigate, to find something they can be successful at.
Impressed by: Our alumni base. They’re passionate. They want to help current Gusties.
Will need: Alums to let us know about opportunities for work, internships, job shadowing, career treks. Call us. Let’s talk through how you can help.
In progress: Integrating the vocational and the educational. We don’t want stu- dents to think of career development as something they do in their senior year.
“We want students to be able to adjust to any circumstance that might occur. The great challenge is having a Plan B and a Plan C.”
Tami Aune ’82
Chief Technology Officer
Excited about: Every single classroom experience is unique. How do we find tech solutions that support that rich and diverse learning environment?
Impressed by: The efforts and conver- sations around Gustavus mission, vision, and strategy.
Will need: Obviously funding and bud- geting is a challenge. So is finding and retaining excellent staff.
In progress: Technology-based respons- es to COVID-19, providing access and making sure people have the tools and resources that they need.
“We love change, we live for change, for the challenge of a constantly evolving environment.”
Curt Kowaleski
CFO, Vice President for Finance, and Treasurer
Excited about: Kicking off Lund Center, thinking about all the benefits students will get from it.
Impressed by: This well-defined stra- tegic plan and the many ways we keep it alive. This is what we need to do to make our college as vibrant and great as we want it to be.
Will need: Discernment around the reallocation of funds. Especially in higher education, you can’t just keep increasing the revenue line.
In progress: Agreeing on what the top priorities are and allocating resources to fund them.
“We need to keep an eye on the long- term success of the College.”