Luther appoints interim principal-dean

James Phillips, chair of the Board of Governors of Martin Luther University College, is pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Kristine Lund will begin serving as the school’s interim principal-dean after the retirement of Rev. Dr. Mark Harris, current principal-dean, on July 15, 2020. 

Lund, a senior faculty member who has served as Luther’s assistant principal since 2008, will retain some of her teaching duties in addition to serving as the school’s top administrator. Although her term is set to end April 30, 2021, the board has made provisions for her to step aside earlier if a new full-time principal-dean is appointed, Phillips said. 

“I’d like to thank Kristine for stepping into the role as we continue to search for a full-time replacement for Mark,” he said.  

The board’s recent efforts to appoint a new principal-dean were unsuccessful. Another search, with continued help from an executive search firm, will commence in the coming months.  

“As a theological school operating closely with a secular university and serving many diverse communities, Luther is a unique institution,” Phillips said. “Finding a candidate who satisfies all stakeholders is difficult.” 

Phillips expressed gratitude to Harris for his service since assuming the principal-dean’s post in 2015. 

“Mark is an incredible administrator,” Phillips said. “He guided this institution at a time of great change including a much-needed renewal of the facility; our historic name-change; and, most recently, through the upheaval foisted upon us by the novel coronavirus pandemic.”  

Contact: 

Mirko Petricevic, mpetricevic@luther.wlu.ca  

Director of Communications and Public Affairs 

Martin Luther University College