Luther College president announces plans to retire in 2025

Luther College President Jenifer Ward will retire next year after more than 40 years in academia, the college announced Monday.

Ward, who has served as president of the Decorah university since 2019, will remain in the role until the end of June next year, according to a news release. Ward said in the release she looks forward to working with the community over the next year at the university that “enriched, challenged and transformed” her.

“My love for Luther is deep and genuine, and I so appreciate the challenging and collaborative work this campus community has undertaken together over the past several years to address the rapid changes in higher education and move Luther College forward as a place of faith and learning for current and future generations of students,” Ward said in a message to campus.

The college’s board of regents will begin identifying next steps for the search to find a new president, Board Chair Bob Paulson said in the release. The board will update the campus community after its May meeting.

“On behalf of the Board of Regents, I want to express our gratitude to President Ward for her exemplary service and for putting the best interests of Luther College front and center through careful succession planning,” Paulson said in the release.

Ward will leave Luther College at the end of its 2023-2025 strategic plan, and she said in the release she shares the board’s goal of reaching the university’s strategic goals like finishing the initial phases of the campus master plan.

According to the release, during her tenure, Ward focused on making student success more holistic through a new student services department under the purview of the provost reorganizing curriculum.

“I look forward to continuing to engage with the broader Luther community over the next year as we advance this great college,” Ward said in the release. “Luther’s fabric is strong, and I know my successor will be equally blessed by how our people care for the “Luther blue” thread that pulls through it.”