Luther College names dean for institutional planning and mission

Luther College President Paula J. Carlson has announced that Luther associate dean and associate professor of religion Terry Sparkes will now serve as dean for institutional planning and mission. She will begin her new duties this August prior to the start of the fall semester.

As dean for institutional planning and mission, Sparkes will serve as the project manager for Luther's strategic planning process, as well as coordinate the college's re-accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, focusing specifically on federal compliance and assurance review.

In this new role, Sparkes will work closely with the President and members of the cabinet and will be responsible for the supervision of the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement, the Center for Sustainable Communities, and the Student Academics Support Center.

President Carlson said she is excited for Sparkes to fill this new role at Luther.

"Terry has a deep knowledge of the Luther community and our mission, and years of experience managing complex projects such as curriculum development and the re-visioning of the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement," said President Carlson. "I look forward to her leadership on strategic planning and re-accreditation, and I know I will appreciate her wisdom and insight as a member of my cabinet."

Sparkes joined Luther's religion department in 1990. Her teaching and research interests include immigration and religious diversity in the United States; religion, politics and culture; religious fundamentalisms and modernity; religion and identity in modern American fiction; interdisciplinary studies and the liberal arts; and global peace and justice studies.

Sparkes holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University with a major in French language and literature. She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School and a doctorate in the history of Christianity from the University of Chicago Divinity School.

"The liberal arts have never been more relevant and needed, and Luther College excels at providing students the knowledge, perspective and skills needed for creative and compassionate leadership in a changing world," Sparkes said. "I'm honored to be able to play a role in working with colleagues and students to envision Luther's future."