News Archives - 2006

Paul C. Pribbenow, president of  Rockford College in Rockford, Ill., has been elected as the 10th president of Augsburg College by its board of regents today. He succeeds William V. Frame, Augsburg president since 1997.  Pribbenow will take office later this summer.

"We are confident that Dr. Pribbenow has all the qualities of leadership and passion needed to continue Dr. Frame's work at Augsburg College," said Jean Taylor, chair of the Augsburg College Board of Regents. "He has already demonstrated that he is an accomplished communicator, a person who can demonstrate his own sense of Christian vocation, a skilled administrator, and a visible leader, actively participating in the life of the campus and surrounding community."

Presidential search committee chair and Board of Regents member Ted Grindal expressed his thanks and gratitude to the entire Augsburg community for their participation in the search process. "After a very thorough and successful search, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Pribbenow as Augsburg's next president," Grindal said. "In Paul Pribbenow, we feel we have found a successor who will not only carry on Augsburg's commitment to being a college committed to a Christian understanding of vocation, but will maximize its exciting potential for the future."

"This is the work I believe I was called to do, and I look forward to serving as Augsburg's next president," Pribbenow said. "I firmly believe that my experiences and commitments are a remarkable fit for the mission and needs of the college."

Paul C. Pribbenow was born in Decorah, Iowa in 1957. He received his bachelor's degree in sociology/political science from Luther College, and his master's degree in divinity and his doctorate in social ethics from the University of Chicago.

He has served as president of Rockford College since 2002. Since his arrival at Rockford, Pribbenow has launched several new educational initiatives, including working with faculty and staff to develop the Jane Addams Center for Civic Engagement.  This program's primary responsibility, according to Pribbenow, "is to find ways to work with students to integrate their education, co-curricular activities, spiritual experiences and service to the community as part of an intentional vocational formation initiative."  He has also been an integral part of expanding opportunities for the campus and its community to join together in a variety of collaborative efforts.

Prior to Rockford, Pribbenow served as research fellow for the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College in Indiana, and dean for College Advancement and secretary to the Board of Trustees. At The Art Institute of Chicago, he served as vice president for Institutional Advancement for the School. He has also served as associate dean of the Divinity School of The University of Chicago.

Other professional experiences include serving as a senior consultant for Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates and minister of First Lutheran Church in Attica, Ind.

Pribbenow currently serves on the Swedish-American Hospital Board of Directors, the United Way of the Rock River Valley Board of Directors, the Campus Compact of Illinois Board of Trustees, the Rotary Club of Rockford, the Crusader Clinic Health Foundation Board of Directors, and the Rockford Area Economic Development Council.

He and his wife, Abigail, an arts administrator, have two children.