Personnel Change to Announce

Colleagues:

I wish to share with you a reorganization of the division currently reporting to Joe LaLuzerne, senior vice president for strategic planning and operational effectiveness. This reorganization will result in the elimination of Joe’s position. 

Joe’s last day at Bethel will be August 3. In the last 10 years, Joe has led Bethel through multiple strategic planning processes, the most recent of which produced five strategic goals and 15 initiatives, and was adopted by the Bethel Board of Trustees in 2015. That work will guide us through 2021. Joe also has infused his planning expertise into our work with admissions and marketing, which resulted in upgrades to our customer relations management system to better track prospective students from inquiry to enrollment. Under Joe’s leadership, we have developed and begun executing two Campus Master Plans—one focused on 3900 and the second incorporating changes after the purchase of the Anderson Center. These plans will help Bethel’s facilities match the high-caliber faculty and staff who teach and work in them, and allow us to enhance the student experience, especially in the sciences.

I will miss Joe’s commitment to Bethel's mission, analytical ability, insightful questions, and quest to move us forward. He has added substantially to our progress in becoming the Christ-centered university of choice for this century. We wish him well as he moves on to the next chapter of his career. More details about sending well wishes to Joe will be shared in the coming weeks in E-Announcements.

As we prepare for a new leader, we have developed the following plan:

• Deb Harless, provost and executive vice president, will assume interim leadership over all enrollment management functions including admissions, financial aid, enrollment management operations, marketing and communications, and institutional data and research.

• Pat Brooke, chief financial officer, will assume long-term leadership over all facilities management and ITS functions.

• John Addleman, special assistant to the president, will assume long-term leadership over conference and event services. In the short-term, John will work with several of Deb Harless’ team members as she works with enrollment and marketing.

• Cara Wald, chief human resources and strategy officer, will assume long-term leadership over strategic planning.

I am restructuring my team to ensure the appropriate focus on enrollment for a tuition-driven university like Bethel. I will provide more details as decisions are made and plans finalized.

Serving together,

Jay Barnes