Albion Interactive History / People / Mauri Ditzler

Albion Interactive History

Albion Interactive History / People / Albion College

Dr. Mauri A. Ditzler
16th President, 2013-present

    

Albion College President +

Biographical Information

Dr. Mauri A. Ditzler officially took office as the 16th president of Albion College on July 1, 2014. He brings with him a wealth of accomplishments in higher education built over a 35-year career, including two decades as an administrator and, before that, 15 years as an esteemed and national-award-winning chemistry professor.

Throughout that time, Ditzler has championed liberal arts education and its essential place in our American democratic society. As a faculty member, he employed innovative teaching methods in the laboratory; as an educational leader, he has deftly combined vision with fundraising skill to move his institutions forward.

At the forefront of learning
Ditzler comes to Albion from Monmouth College in Illinois, where he served as president from 2005 to 2014. During his nine years there, he led initiatives that emphasized academic excellence, resulted in curriculum innovations, produced positive enrollment trends, and strengthened the college’s relationship with its home community of Monmouth.

One of Ditzler’s signature achievements at Monmouth was the creation and implementation of a strategic plan, titled “Fulfilling the Promise,” that recommitted the college to its founding principles—repurposed for the 21st century—and led to the largest capital campaign in the college’s history. He guided fundraising efforts for the construction of a $40-million center for integrated programs in science and business; two residence halls and athletic facility improvements were also completed during his presidency.

Before Monmouth, Ditzler enjoyed six years as dean at Wabash College in Indiana, his undergraduate alma mater. At Wabash, he developed and helped raise more than $20 million in initial funding for a national Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts and played a key role in the design and construction of many academic facilities.

From 1994 to 1999, Ditzler served as dean of arts and sciences at Millikin University in Illinois. He advanced curricular reforms, promoted undergraduate research, and helped envision and secure funding for a new science building. Preceding his move into administration was a 15-year tenure as a chemistry professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. At Holy Cross, Ditzler led a team that created a chemistry curriculum that became a widely adopted model and earned him a national teaching award. He also published regularly—often with students as co-authors—and obtained major grants for research and laboratory facilities.

A deep-rooted sense of place
Ditzler wholeheartedly believes liberal arts colleges should be places where students discern a vocation that will shape their personal and professional lives, and where students prepare to change the world through active citizenship that is both local and global in its reach. This deep connection to our larger society informs his vision for Albion College as it readies students for leadership in the 21st century.

An Indiana native, Ditzler graduated summa cum laude from Wabash College, majoring in chemistry and speech. He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Duke University and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the science honorary Sigma Xi. He and his wife, Judith Ditzler, have three grown children, Meggan, Mark, and Lorin. Together, the Ditzlers also own a fruit farm in west central Indiana.

Source: Albion College Web Site, www.albion.edu, Accessed 12/17/2018.

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