The Office of Academic Affairs, under the leadership of the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, oversees the University’s academic programs and supports their work in educating students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Office of Academic Affairs works with faculty and staff in the University’s undergraduate and graduate programs to offer an engaging, high-quality educational experience for an intentionally diverse mix of learners.
Jump to: Academic Affairs Office Staff | Academic Affairs Leadership Team | Faculty Directors in Academic Affairs
Contact Information
Phone: 612-330-1024
Mailing Address:
2211 Riverside Avenue, CB 136
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Academic Affairs Office Staff
Paula O’Loughlin, Ph.D.
Provost and Senior Vice President
As provost, Dr. Paula O’Loughlin oversees academic affairs and student affairs divisions of Augsburg University: the faculty and academic program; student affairs (campus life, multicultural life, residence life, counseling and wellness, StepUP); and student support offices (registrar, library, advising, CLASS, URGO, career services). Her direct reports include the academic deans, the dean of students, the vice president for student success, the assistant provost for global education and experience, the assistant provost for academic administration, the assistant provost for experiential learning and meaningful work, and the director of the library. As a strategic partner to the president and other vice presidents, she serves on a number of university committees and task forces.
O’Loughlin assumed the role of Provost at Augsburg University on July 1, 2022. Prior to this appointment, she served as provost and dean of the faculty at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, since 2016 and also served the institution as interim dean of students and Title IX coordinator. Prior to Coe College, she served in leadership positions at Gustavus Adolphus College and the University of Minnesota–Morris. She has also taught at Carleton College, Macalester College, and the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. O’Loughlin earned her PhD in political science from the University of Minnesota and her bachelor’s degree in government from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for excellence in teaching, advising, leadership, service, and scholarship.
Monica Devers, Ph.D.
Dean of Professional Studies and Graduate Education
Dr. Monica Devers became Augsburg’s Dean of Professional Studies in August 2017. She was a faculty member at St. Cloud State from 1998 to 2017 and served as chair for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the university’s College of Fine Arts and Humanities. Devers most recently served as the inaugural dean of Health and Human Services at St. Cloud State University.
Devers completed her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Minnesota. She also holds a Master of Arts in English and politics and a Master of Science in information technology from the University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Ryan Haaland, D.Phil.
Dean of Arts & Sciences
Dr. Ryan Haaland became Augsburg’s Dean of Arts and Sciences in July 2019. He was Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics & Engineering at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. In 2006, Haaland finished a 21-year Air Force career as faculty and Department Head of Physics, at the United States Air Force Academy.
Haaland earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, a master of science degree in space physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate of philosophy in physics from the University of Oxford, England.
David Matz, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Dr. Matz was appointed associate provost in the fall of 2020. He holds an appointment as professor of psychology, and previously served as interim dean of arts and sciences. He received his bachelor’s degree from Bemidji State University, his master’s degree from North Dakota State University, and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. He has been a full-time faculty member of Augsburg’s psychology department since 2001.
Areas of Responsibility: Dave’s responsibilities as associate provost focus on increasing institutional capacities with academic analytics, course section planning, assessment and academic program review. He will serve on ad hoc committees and task forces that align with these areas of responsibility – such as the academic structure task force and the faculty workload and curricular parameters committee. He will also support, as the provost’s representative, the work of faculty governance.
Catherine Bishop, J.D.
Vice President for Student Experience and Success
Katie received her bachelor’s degree from Macalester College and her J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law.
Areas of Responsibility: Gage Center for Student Success; Strommen Center for Meaningful Work; Student retention and success efforts; AugSem (first-year experience); AU program analysis and transition (adult undergraduate program).
Katie has developed a vision for student success organized around three key aspects of the student experience– academic progress, engagement, and well-being. A vision that responds comprehensively to the challenge of improving retention– a key priority named by the Grow Sustainably Task Force.
As vice president for student experience and success, Katie reports to the provost and has responsibility for organizing the newly renamed division of student experience and success.
Elaine Eschenbacher, M.A.
Assistant Provost for Experiential Learning and Meaningful Work
Elaine Eschenbacher earned her master’s degree in leadership from Augsburg University, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota.
Areas of Responsibility: Prior to joining Augsburg as the Director of the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship, Elaine served as Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Elaine now oversees both the Sabo Center as well as the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work.
Marah Jacobson, Ed.D.
Assistant Provost for Academic Administration
Marah earned her doctor of education, master of science in higher education administration, and her bachelor of science in community psychology degrees from St. Cloud State University.
Areas of Responsibility: Oversight of operational and administrative processes and policies for Academic and Student Affairs and functions as the primary liaison between the Provost’s Office and the deans, OPE, HR, Finance, Sponsored Research, and other areas; understands the application of the faculty handbook, student code of conduct, and other institutional, state, and federal policies and procedures to maintain compliance.
P
atrick Mulvihill, M.A.|M.P.A.
Assistant Provost for Global Education and Experience
Patrick received his bachelor’s degree from St. Olaf College and his master’s degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
Before coming to Augsburg, he served as the Director of Operations at the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) for twelve years and as Chief Operating Officer and Director of European & USA Service Programs at Global Volunteers, a service-learning organization in the field of human and economic development, for seven years.
Areas of Responsibility: The Center for Global Education and Experience. Study abroad and study away, including Faculty-led off-campus programs. Internationalization of academic programs and curriculum. Strategic recruitment and retention of international students (in collaboration with other college divisions). Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
KC Gubrud, M.A.
Executive Assistant to the Provost
KC (Kristine Claussen) Gubrud is a graduate of St. Olaf College. She received her master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University.
Areas of Responsibility: Support for the Provost; scheduling for Provost and Deans. Supports the Committee on Tenure and Promotion. Oversees full-time faculty recruiting. Supports commencement and academic university events.
Deanna Davis, M.M.
Program Coordinator, Professional Studies
Deanna received her Bachelor of Music from Western Washington University and her Master of Music from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Areas of Responsibility: Primary liaison for the Division of Professional & Graduate Studies and the Office of Continuing Education; coordinates registration for educational activities, communication, and maintains the online presence.
Katie Boyle, M.A.
Assistant to the Dean, Arts & Sciences
Katie earned her Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Minnesota and her Master of Arts in Elementary Education from St. Catherine University.
Areas of Responsibility: Support the Dean of Arts & Sciences. Serve as liaison between faculty and other university departments and the Dean’s Office. Coordinate scheduling of faculty review and department chair meetings. Support Faculty Search process for Arts & Sciences and Professional Studies. Support Academic Affairs Committee.
Academic Affairs Leadership Team
The Academic Affairs Leadership Team (AALT) includes the Provost, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Dean of Professional Studies and Graduate Education, Assistant Provost of Global Education and Experience, Chief Student Success Officer, Director of Academic Administration, and the following administrators located elsewhere in the Academic Affairs division:
Mary Hollerich, M.S.
Library Director
Mary Hollerich is a two-time alumna of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has her BA in Germanic Languages and Literatures and MS in Library and Information Science.
Mary has worked in academic research libraries for 30 years, most recently as Assistant Dean for Scholarly Resources and Research Services at Southern Methodist University. Mary is an active member in the American Library Association (ALA) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and serves on editorial boards for two library science journals.
Faculty Directors in Academic Affairs
Ben Denkinger, Ph.D.
Director of Assessment
Stacy Freiheit, Ph.D.
Director of General Education
Jenny Hanson, M.F.A.
Director of Online and Blended Learning Pedagogies
Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright, Ph.D.
Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning
Lyz Wendland, M.F.A.
Director of First Year Experience