Augustana selects Dr. Erin Kempker to lead new Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship

Augustana announces the selection of Dr. Erin Kempker to lead the newly launched Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship. She will start at the college Feb. 3.

Augustana’s Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS), will support professional development for all educators on campus, both faculty and staff. The center supersedes the college’s Center for Faculty Enrichment, which will phase out this spring. 

Provost Dr. Dianna Shandy said Dr. Kempker is an accomplished scholar, inspiring teacher, and proven leader.

“Dr. Kempker is known for her extraordinary ability to bring people together to solve challenges, ignite new ideas, and amplify the unique strengths within a community,” Dr. Shandy said. “Her visionary leadership will be instrumental in driving forward our Bold & Boundless strategic plan, and we are excited for the future she will help shape at Augustana.”

Dr. Kempker comes to Augustana from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Miss., where she worked her way up from assistant professor to full professor. She also served as department chair of history, political science, and geography for six years. She  most recently served as interim director of the quality enhancement plan, a required component of the university’s accreditation reaffirmation process through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges that focused on student success, high-impact learning, and career readiness. She has a history of securing grants to support institutional initiatives.

She earned her doctorate and master’s in history at Purdue University and a bachelor’s  in social studies and secondary education at the University of Central Missouri. 

Dr. Kempker said it is a privilege to join the faculty and staff in the work of launching CELTS to help build even more capacity for active, community-based learning in the semesters and years to come. 

“During the interview process, it was clear that faculty and staff at Augustana are student-centered and committed to creating a transformational learning experience for every student,” she said. “Helping this college, this faculty and staff do that as well as possible is a dream job for me.” 

CELTS is aimed at advancing a culture of learner-centered, critically reflective teaching grounded in equity and evidence. Dr. Kempker will support faculty growth through workshops, seminars, coaching and leading new faculty orientation. 

Her work will also include encouraging faculty scholarship, interdisciplinary collaborations and partnering with faculty and CORE (Careers, Opportunity, Research, Exploration) — the college’s center for preparing students for meaningful post-graduate work, service and education — to facilitate experiential and active learning, including the development of community-based learning and partnerships.