New Augustana dean starts in August

New University of Alberta, Augustana Campus dean, Dr. Allen Berger is eager to begin work in Camrose.

He was at the campus on June 24 to attend the council of public liberal arts colleges. "It was a fabulous conference," said an excited Berger. "It is an organization of 26 public universities that share a common mission.  They are all located in the United States, except for Augustana."

The new dean, replacing Dr. Roger Epp, made his third trip to the Rose City. "I was first here when I was interviewed for the job last November. Then my wife and I were here again in February to make arrangements for housing. At that time, I had a chance to meet with some faculty and staff."

Dr. Berger will move to Camrose in July and begin his employment on August 2. "Roger is leaving Augustana in a great position, those are going to be big shoes for me to fill. We have a chance to build from a position of strength."

He believes good things are happening at Augustana and in the community. "We are working on quality issues relating to undergraduate research and building opportunities for students in the community through internships of various kinds. The sustainability initiatives on campus are exciting, so this is a strong institution. I think there are other areas where we have work to do."

Berger is ready to face some challenges such as increasing enrolment and improving student retention. "It's too early to set official goals. I will certainly bring ideas, but goal-setting needs to be done collaboratively. I said in my interview (for the position) that I didn't believe institutions of higher education worked very well if they were managed in a top-down fashion."

He said his arrival was good timing because the university just went through a unit review process, which is a comprehensive review of overall quality at the institution. "External reviewers were brought in from other universities so we have now, as we head into the new school year, all of the comments and critiques to build on as we try to set goals for the future. My timing is fortuitously good because I get to benefit from all of the work the campus did in putting together a comprehensive self study."

Berger knows the university has a strong alumni. "I have discovered there are a lot of former students out there and the loyalty they have to this institution is a wonderful resource to draw upon and a real strength. I am meeting a lot of people in town who have been very generous toward Augustana. It was nice to be able to make those acquaintances and  friendships."

Dr. Berger was at the University of Maine at Farmington, which is the state's public liberal arts college. He was the provost and vice-president of academics and is a professor of anthropology. He holds a PhD and master's degrees from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago.

"Like Augustana, it is a small residential campus with a focus on liberal arts education. It has an enrolment about twice the size of Augustana. So when people here talk about an aspiration of eventually growing towards 2,000, that is a size that feels very familiar and comfortable."

He has felt comfortable in Camrose because the two learning institutions are similar. "There are incredible similarities, but on the other hand a lot of differences that I am undoubtedly naive about at the current time and will need to learn more about. I am working from an American context and the Canadian context I can't necessarily assume that things are the same."

Berger is thrilled to be associated with the University of Alberta. "I think we benefit tremendously from that affiliation and I would like to think that the main campus benefits from their affiliation with us as well. We can be a place to pilot new initiatives, demonstrate excellence in teaching and learning, and hopefully set an exemplary standard for the rest of the university."