wfn.org | Steven Titus Named President of Midland Lutheran College

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 27, 2002

STEVEN TITUS NAMED PRESIDENT OF MIDLAND LUTHERAN COLLEGE
02-203-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The board of trustees of Midland Lutheran
College, Fremont, Neb., appointed Dr. Steven Titus as the college's 13th
president at a special meeting Aug. 23.  Titus, 38, is currently serving
as executive assistant to the president at Gustavus Adolphus College,
St. Peter, Minn.
     Midland and Gustavus Adolphus are both colleges of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
     Titus will succeed Dr. Jennifer L. Braaten, who was president from
July 1999 to July 2002.  She resigned to move to Virginia to be closer
to family.  Titus is expected to arrive at Midland in January.  Until
then, John Klockentager, vice president for enrollment management at
Midland, will continue to service as interim president.
     "I am pleased and honored to accept the call to serve as the next
president of this great Lutheran college," he said.  "It is clear to me
that Midland and Fremont are on the move, and I have no doubt that
together we will continue to enhance our capacity to provide a world-
class learning experience for our students."
     A search committee narrowed the initial pool of 46 candidates to
three finalists, said Lloyd E. Brooks, chair of the presidential search
committee and chair of the board of trustees.
     The evaluations we received from people who participated in the
on-campus interviews August 13-15 provided committee members with strong
guidance in making the final decision,  Brooks said.  "We are excited to
have someone of Steve's caliber and energy level continue the excellence
for which Midland has become known."
      Titus was born in Denver.  He earned a bachelor's degree from
Southwest State University, Marshall, Minn., and a juris doctorate
degree from Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee.  He earned a
doctorate in higher education administration from the University of
Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.
     In his current role at Gustavus Adolphus College, Titus serves as
a chief advisor and deputy to the president and is a member of the
college's senior leadership team. Titus is co-director of the ELCA
College and University Leadership Initiative, a pilot program designed
to identify, encourage and equip qualified candidates for presidencies
and other senior leadership positions within ELCA colleges and
universities.
     Prior to joining Gustavus Adolphus, Titus was professor of
leadership studies and organizational behavior at Southwest State
University, where he created and directed the Leadership Studies Program
and Leadership Development Institute.  As a commissioned officer in the
U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps, Titus held several positions
while on active duty, including legal advisor to the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of the Army, labor and employment law attorney for the U.S.
Department of the Army staff, The Pentagon, and as a trial defense
counsel with the 3rd Infantry Division, Wuerzburg, Germany, during
Operation Desert Storm.
     As Minnesota's civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army, Titus
is the senior Army official in the state and a key link between
organizations that support the broad mission of the U.S. Army in
Minnesota and the Secretary of the Army in Washington, D.C.
     Titus' wife, Sara, is director of planned giving at Gustavus
Adolphus College.  They have one daughter, Emma Elizabeth.
-- -- --
     Additional information about Dr. Steven Titus and Midland Lutheran
College can be found at http://www.mlc.edu on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html