Rock Island, Ill. -Dr. Jeff Abernathy, vice president of academic affairs and dean of Augustana College, has accepted a new position as President of Alma College in Alma, Michigan. His appointment will begin Ju1y 1, 2010.
"I am enthusiastic about the opportunity to lead Alma at this remarkable moment for higher education," said Abernathy. "The Alma vision for liberal education has engaged students from across the country since the nineteenth century, and it is a great honor to be called to their presidency."
Abernathy has served as vice president and professor in the English department at Augustana since 2004. He led the development of a new consortium of colleges, the Midwest Alliance for Learning in the Liberal Arts, which includes Alma, Augustana and five other Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts colleges across the Midwest. Abernathy's work on the academic component of the college's strategic plan, Authentically Augustana: A Plan for a Premier Liberal Arts College, led to accomplishments including:
· hiring five dozen new faculty as the size of the full-time faculty grew by 26 percent;
· implementing Senior Inquiry, a capstone project which students in nearly all majors create and complete in partnership with a faculty mentor;
· partnering with colleagues to develop Augie Choice, an innovative new program supporting experiential learning opportunities?such as international study, collaborative research and internships?for all students.
"I am very grateful to Jeff for his leadership at Augustana College, especially demonstrated by working with faculty to improve the learning experiences of our students," said Augustana College President Steve Bahls. "This has served to advance Augustana's standing as a national liberal arts college, and Jeff's selection as president of a selective college like Alma is a gratifying sign that colleges around the country are recognizing Augustana's strengths."
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Abernathy graduated from Longwood College in 1985. He earned the Ph.D. in American literature from the University of Florida. Before coming to Augustana, he served as vice president of academic affairs and dean of West Virginia Wesleyan College, and as a faculty member in English and associate dean at Illinois College. He also serves as a higher education expert through local and national media, including writing a column on academic issues for The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Abernathy is married to Rebecca Wee, a poet and associate professor of English at Augustana. They are the parents of a six-year-old son, Rohan, and 18-month-old daughter, Maren.
For additional information or questions, contact Kamy Beattie, director of public relations at kamybeattie@augustana.edu or (309) 794-7721.
About Augustana: Founded in 1860 and situated on a 115-acre campus near the Mississippi River, Augustana College is a private, liberal arts institution affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college enrolls nearly 2,500 students from diverse geographic, social, ethnic and religious backgrounds and offers more than 60 majors and areas of study. Augustana employs 226 faculty and has a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Augustana continues to do what it has always done: challenge and prepare students for lives of leadership and service in our complex, ever-changing world.
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