13th President Elected at Wittenberg University
The Wittenberg University, Springfield Ohio, one of the 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, elected Dr. Mark H. Erickson as its 13th president after the unanimous vote by its board of directors. Erickson, vice president for administrative and government affairs at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., will assume presidency at Wittenberg on July 1.
"We are terrifically excited to engage Dr. Erickson as the next president of Wittenberg," said Ingrid Stafford, Evanston, Ill., board chair and search committee chair. "His qualifications and background clearly stood out among the other candidates, and we are thrilled that he accepted our offer to be part of the Wittenberg community."
“Dr. Erickson’s strengths in strategic planning, enrollment management, global education, diversity and community engagement are particularly compelling and applicable to Wittenberg’s current strategic directions,” a 1975 Wittenberg alumna continued. “His experience at Lehigh University will benefit Wittenberg in many significant ways, and we are confident that Dr. Erickson can strengthen Wittenberg in its educational programs and its contributions as a nationally ranked liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church.”
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After an eight-month search process conducted by a 14-member search committee and coordinated by the nationally recognized executive search firm Witt/Kieffer, Erickson succeeds Baird Tipson, who served as president of Wittenberg from 1995-2004 and vacated to serve presidency at Washington College, Chestertown, Md. Since July 2004, attorney and business executive William H. Steinbrink, vice chair of the board and a 1964 Wittenberg alumnus, has served as interim president till present time.
“I am both honored and excited to be selected to lead Wittenberg University as its next president,” Erickson said. “Wittenberg is an extraordinary university that is beautifully poised for even greater success. From day one, I felt a resonance with Wittenberg’s mission to educate ‘the whole person,’ its commitment to the liberal arts, its focus on global education, diversity and community service as well as its connection to the Lutheran Church.
“In all honesty, though, it is the quality of the faculty, staff and students I met at Wittenberg University and the leaders I met in the Springfield community that convinced me that this was the right place for me and my family.”
At Lehigh Dr. Erickson provides leadership and vision for the university’s government and community affairs operations, securing federal and state funding in excess of $30 million to support the university’s mission. He is also the primary representative to the city of Lehigh Valley, Pa.
Furthermore, Erickson is the senior advisor to Lehigh’s president, engaging in extensive travel to develop ties with international corporations and universities. He also led the university’s strategic planning process as well as diversity initiatives for more inclusive campus environment.
Erickson has served in numerous capacities at Lehigh even prior to his service as vice president for administrative and government affairs, as the associate vice president and executive assistant to the president from 1999-2001 and as the university’s dean of students from 1990-1999. During his service as dean of students, Erickson worked to enhance the quality of campus life for the students of Lehigh, which currently enrolls 4,577 undergraduates and 2,064 graduate students.
In 1997, Erickson was selected as one of 34 American Council on Education (A.C.E.) Fellows and worked closely with William Adams, who then served as Bucknell President and A.C.E. mentor, assisting him in federal lobbying strategies development and participating in weekly core planning meetings. He also studied the British system of higher education by personal visit to England and Scotland and explored issues on national higher education through research, regional meetings and A.C.E. national seminars.
Erickson, a frequent presenter at national and regional conferences and a member of numerous professional associations, received his B.A. in American history from Princeton University, his M.Ed. from Harvard University and D.Ed. in education leadership from Lehigh University. His academic career extends to additional study in world religions and pastoral care at Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge.
Erickson's wife, Lin, currently serves as chief executive officer and executive director of the Da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology, Bethlehem, Pa. Lin earned B.A. from Smith College, M.S. from Lehigh University and Executive M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
The Ericksons have two children, Sarah, 19, a student at Princeton University, and David, 15. Erickson is Presbyterian but attends St. Paul Lutheran Church, Coopersburg, Pa., with his family.
The forthcoming inauguration of Dr. Erickson as Wittenberg’s 13th president will be updated.
