5 things to know about St. Norbert College's new president
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Editor's note: This piece was updated to include information from a press conference Friday afternoon at St. Norbert College.
DE PERE ― Laurie Joyner will be taking over as the president of St. Norbert College in July, replacing Thomas Kunkel who has served as the interim president for a year.
Here are five things to know about the college's new president:
She is the first woman to hold the position in the school's 125-year history.
St. Norbert College has had eight male presidents since its inception in 1898. Joyner will be the first female leader to hold the position, joining a growing number of female higher education leaders. About three out of 10 college and university presidents are women, according to a 2017 report by the American Council of Education.
"I am honored and humbled to have been selected as the ninth president of St. Norbert College. The college’s rich Catholic, Norbertine tradition and deep commitment to the liberal arts is powerful in preparing graduates for lives of meaning, leadership and service,” Joyner said in a statement.
Her priorities are working on shared governance issues, increasing enrollment and philanthropy.
While she has yet to start officially in the role, Joyner initial priorities as president will be addressing shared governance issues, enrollment and philanthropy, she said at a press conference Friday.
"It's really important to have our faculty and staff and administrations and board of trustees on the same page about a shared vision for the future," she said. "I'll be listening and looking at the strategic planning priorities and will likely end up tweaking those a bit."
The college currently has 2,009 enrolled students, according to its website.
Joyner was the president of two other colleges prior to taking on this role.
Joyner is coming to St. Norbert College from Saint Xavier University, a private Catholic college in Chicago, where she has been the president since 2017. Before that, she served as the president of Wittenberg University — a private, Lutheran-affiliated liberal arts college in Ohio. She has also held leadership roles at Rollins College in Florida.
Despite being in Chicago, she's not a Bears fan.
Having grown up in New Orleans, by default Joyner is a Saints fan, she said.
"Being born and raised in New Orleans, I have been a Saints fan my whole life. But I am sure by next time I visit, I'm going to know all about the Green Bay Packers," she said.
Joyner has three degrees.
Joyner has a bachelor's, a master's and a doctoral degree all in sociology. She earned her undergraduate degree from Loyola University in New Orleans, and then she went on to graduate school at Tulane University also in New Orleans.
Danielle DuClos is a Report for America corps member who covers K-12 education for the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at dduclos@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @danielle_duclos. You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at www.GreenBayPressGazette.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Green Bay Press Gazette Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 5 things to know about St. Norbert College's new president
