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Halbersleben declines contract extension

May 5, 2009

At the May meeting of the Northland College Board of Trustees, President Karen I. Halbersleben announced that she would not accept the contract extension recently offered by the Board.  Halbersleben, who began her Presidency in 2002, indicated that she was willing to remain in office as the Board searches for her successor.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished at Northland over the years, but I also believe it is time for new leadership to help the college reach its goal of being the nation’s premier environmental liberal arts college,” said Halbersleben.  “We have taken major steps towards achieving that goal: developing a curriculum which fully delivers our environmental mission, retaining top-notch faculty and staff who support that mission, and living our mission through sustainability initiatives and investments across campus.”

John N. Allen, Board of Trustees chair, said, “We will greatly miss Karen’s leadership and her tremendous love of Northland college, our students, and our unique mission. In both her role at the College as well as in leadership roles as Chair of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) and as a national office holder at the American Council on Education, she has garnered widespread recognition for Northland College.”

During Halbersleben’s presidency, Northland has received $40 million in gifts, including the establishment of two endowed professorships named for the Bro and Chapple families. Also during her tenure, the Mary Van Evera Visual Arts Center was constructed and the Harriet Dexter Library underwent a total renovation to become the campus’ first LEED-certified building. Support for student financial aid has increased, and the college received major new endowment funding from the Mead-Witter Foundation. Halbersleben led an increased focus on Northland’s niche as an environmental college by supporting the mission-based redesign of the curriculum and through an expanded marketing program which includes an award-winning website.

“My husband, Jack, and I love living in Ashland and have been honored to serve Northland—a college with mission that increasingly matters to the country’s environmental health and the education of young leaders, workers, and activists,” said Halbersleben.

Allen said that a search for a new president would begin immediately and underscored that Halbersleben has agreed to serve until an interim or full-term president is selected.  “The Board of Trustees is firmly committed to the success of Northland College and understands that ongoing strong leadership is necessary to achieve the college’s long-term goals of growth in enrollment and mission during this period of national economic recovery. Trustees are clear that the presidential search begin immediately and be a process owned by the entire Northland community.”