MATT CUNARD STAFF WRITER
Dr. Mark L. Biermann was announced as the new vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty for Wartburg College at this morning’s faculty meeting.
The announcement comes at the end of a search to replace Dr. Ferol Menzel, who retired at the end of last school year.
Biermann, who is currently the dean of the school of natural and applied sciences at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., stood out to the committee because of his commitment to faculty and student development, President Darrel Colson said.
“Central to what we do at Wartburg College is the learning of the students, and that’s what he gets really passionate about,” Colson said. “He really cares about how students can learn, he really focuses on faculty teaching and student learning.”
Besides being a dean at Taylor University, Biermann has also held teaching or administrative positions at Eastern Kentucky University, the United States Naval Academy and Houghton College, among others.
Colson said Biermann will officially start on July 1 of this year, and that Biermann brings a diverse background with him to Wartburg, something Colson hopes can help move Wartburg forward into the future.
“He’s going to bring to us an enthusiasm for the teaching and learning process, he’s going to bring to us a lot of experience in building and developing spaces that are conducive to learning to education,” Colson said.
“He’s a quiet guy, but once you get him going he says some interesting things.”
More details about Biermann’s hiring, including the views of those on the search committee, will be available soon.