ELCA NEWS SERVICE May 12, 2004 Pamela Jolicoeur Named President of ELCA's Concordia College 04-096-RD*/JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of regents of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., voted unanimously May 3 to name Dr. Pamela Jolicoeur president of the college. She will be the 10th president in Concordia's 113-year history and is expected to assume the role in July. Concordia College is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Dr. Jolicoeur is a great fit for Concordia," says Ronald Offutt, board chair, Fargo, N.D. "Her distinguished record of strong leadership in Lutheran higher education makes her ideally suited to carry forward our mission. She brings wisdom, heart and energy that will invigorate the entire Concordia community." Jolicoeur, 59, has served as provost and dean of the faculty at California Lutheran University (CLU), Thousand Oaks, since 1996, according to a Concordia College news release. Her responsibilities there included academic affairs and services, admissions, information systems and services, athletics, institutional planning and research, the release said. Having developed CLU's academic and strategic plans, her leadership resulted in a 30 percent increase in undergraduate enrollment and an improved academic profile, the release said. CLU is also an ELCA higher education institution. Jolicoeur joined the sociology faculty at CLU in 1972, serving as faculty chair from 1978 to 1980 and department chair from 1979 to 1983. Her teaching emphases centered on social issues and problems, ethnic relations, sociological theory, sociology of religion, deviance and social psychology. She assumed key leadership positions in the dean's office beginning in 1981 and remained on the faculty until 1993, when she became vice president for academic affairs. "I am ready for this exciting change," Jolicoeur said. "I've known about Concordia and its outstanding reputation for a long time. I am attracted to Concordia's mission, the distinctive strengths of its academic programs and the remarkable quality of people there. The college is thriving and eager to move to the next level. You can sense the energy on campus. I can't wait to get started." "I think there's a genuine spirit of optimism and enthusiasm about Dr. Jolicoeur," said Dr. Barbara Olive, professor of English and member of the presidential search committee. "She's exceptionally qualified to lead us, and we are fortunate to have her joining our community." A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Santa Clara (Calif.), Jolicoeur earned her master's and doctorate in sociology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. She is a widely sought-after speaker and author of more than 20 publications and papers on a variety of sociological issues, including "The Good Daughters: Acculturation and Caregiving Among Mexican-American Women," published in the Journal on Aging, Summer 2002, the Concordia release said. Jolicoeur is recognized for her insights and commitment to the cause of Lutheran higher education, the release said. She speaks frequently on the vocation of a Lutheran college, which she addresses in "Finding the Words: The Challenge of Being California Lutheran University," published in the Winter 1999 issue of "Intersections," a newsletter produced by the ELCA Division for Higher Education and Schools. She has chaired and is a member of the Lutheran Education Conference of North America (LECNA) Comparative Advantage Task Force. Jolicoeur has a daughter, Jessica Rich, and is married to Michael A. Doyle, associate professor of criminal justice, and director of graduate and adult programs at CLU. --- Concordia College maintains a site at http://www.concordiacollege.edu/ on the Web. *Roger Degerman is senior director for communications and marketing at Concordia College. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news