AGB Search Assists Linfield University with the Recruitment of 21st President
December 9, 2024 – Washington, D.C.-based recruitment firm AGB Search, which specializes in higher education leadership assignments, has assisted in the recruitment of Mark Blegen as the 21st president of Linfield University. He will assume leadership from interim president Rebecca Johnson in July. Linfield’s 20th president, Miles K. Davis, departed in December 2023. Consultants Loren Anderson and Shannon McCambridge spearheaded the assignment. The announcement comes after a 10-month search co-chaired by trustees Kirby Dyess and Marvin Henberg. The 16-member committee included students, alumni, faculty and staff, and was assisted by AGB Search. Four candidates visited both campuses in November for open forums.
In a joint statement, Ms. Dyess and Mr. Henberg said the committee was delighted by the quality of candidates and Blegen’s selection. “Dr. Mark Blegen is an ideal fit as president of Linfield University. As provost at Carroll University, he added significantly to both undergraduate and graduate enrollment by devoting resources to new programs such as aviation and drone science and video game design,” they said. “He developed several new programs across the health sciences while expanding existing curricula in that area. Carroll will shortly add engineering. We have confidence that Mark will hit the ground running in McMinnville and Portland to work with faculty and staff in similarly pioneering innovative programs that suit Linfield students in furthering their successful futures and careers.”
“We are confident Mark’s vision and leadership will guide the university toward continued excellence in teaching, research and community engagement in the years ahead,” said Lucinda Day Fournier, Linfield board chair. “He has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, and we believe he will inspire our students, faculty, staff and alumni to reach new and ever-greater heights.”
Dr. Blegen currently serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Carroll University, a 3,300-student liberal arts university in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At Carroll, he oversaw a $40 million academic affairs budget, took part in comprehensive fundraising campaigns and played a key role in creating and implementing inclusive hiring practices for faculty and staff.
Under his leadership, Carroll launched its first Ph.D. program, expanded master’s-level offerings and partnered with a high school in downtown Milwaukee to offer an on-site associate degree program, Carroll University’s first. Previously, Dr. Blegen held posts at St. Catherine University in Minnesota. He served as associate dean, then dean of health sciences at the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences and chaired the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science. He began his academic career teaching as an assistant professor at Mount Union College and Springfield College.
“I am honored to join Linfield at this exciting time,” said Dr. Blegen. “There are so many wonderful things happening, and the stage is set for even more. Linfield University is truly a community, which I felt the moment I stepped on campus. I am incredibly excited to become a part of, and to collaboratively lead, this historic institution.”
Related: Savannah State University Taps AGB Search to Find New President
Linfield University is an independent, non-profit university with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon. Since 1858, it has connected a traditional liberal arts experience with practical education through 56 majors, including wine studies, sport management and nursing. Linfield has been recognized four years running for having the Best Ethnic Diversity in the Pacific Northwest by U.S. News and World Report. Thirty-two percent of Linfield students are first-generation college students, and more than one-third are U.S. students of color. Linfield competes in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference.
Serving Colleges and Universities
AGB Search conducts searches for college and university presidents, chancellors, provosts, vice presidents, deans, university system heads, and CEOs of coordinating boards and related foundations. The firm was founded by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) in 2010.
Dr. Anderson came to AGB Search in 2012 as an executive search consultant following a career in the private, liberal arts and comprehensive university sector of higher education. Prior to joining the search firm, he served as president of Pacific Lutheran University (WA) for 20 years, during which time the university gained national status. He has completed over 50 presidential and senior executive searches. Leadership development has a been a special focus throughout Dr. Anderson’s campus career as he recruited, hired, and mentored dozens of rising leaders for major positions. Now, in addition to his work with AGB Search, he is co-director of the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) fellows leader development program that prepares emerging leaders from Lutheran colleges and universities for executive roles.
Ms. McCambridge, who joined AGB Search in 2014, has focused on serving the executive search needs in Catholic higher education across the country. In addition to an advanced degree in employment law, her professional background includes many years of practicing and teaching employment law. Ms. McCambridge provides anti-bias training for AGB Search clients. The training is designed to educate search committee on the existence of implicit bias and provide safeguards in the selection process in order to create a more diverse and welcoming workplace.
Related: AGB Search Seeking Chancellor for the University of Colorado Denver
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
