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The former dean of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.,
Mauri Ditzler began his duties as Monmouth College's 13th president on July 1,
2005
Acting on the recommendations of both a national and local search committee, the board of trustees in May unanimously approved Ditzler's appointment.
The Indiana native set himself apart from a select field of presidential candidates with his excellent academic background, engaging personality, leadership traits and understanding of a small liberal arts college, according to David Bowers, chairman of the board.
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We are tremendously impressed with Dr. Ditzler’s academic credentials, his ability to communicate and his proven track record,” said Bowers. “On top of that, we believe that his strong liberal arts background and traditional Midwestern values make him an excellent fit for Monmouth College.”
Ditzler, 52, a 1975 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wabash, became chief academic officer for his alma mater in 1999. At Wabash, he was deeply involved in strategic planning, grant writing, faculty governance and hiring, tenure decisions and helping to promote Wabash’s Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts. The center was established through a $20.8 million grant he helped conceive and write. Ditzler also assisted with the successful completion of Wabash’s $132 million capital campaign.
“Judi and I are delighted to be coming to Monmouth,” said Ditzler. “We are so impressed with the people we have met so far. Everyone at the college and in the town has been welcoming.”
He continued, “It is a special privilege to become part of Monmouth’s long tradition of student-centered education. I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of so many who have worked so hard to make Monmouth an outstanding institution.”
Ditzler earned his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Duke University in 1979. He was a member of the faculty at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., for the next 15 years before accepting his first dean position in 1994 at Millikin University in Decatur. In his final year at Millikin, he served as acting vice president for academic affairs.
Besides the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts, one of Ditzler’s most measurable accomplishments in his six-year stint as dean at Wabash was overseeing the construction of Hays Hall, the college’s new biology and chemistry building. Ditzler might repeat that accomplishment at Monmouth, as a new science facility is high on the list of future projects that the board hopes to complete. In fact, Ditzler has participated in the planning of three new science buildings, one at each of the institutions where he’s worked.
The Ditzlers have raised their own team of scientists. Their older daughter, Meggan, teaches chemistry in Vermont. Their son, Mark, is in the biophysics graduate program at the University of Michigan, and Lorin, their younger daughter, will graduate this year from Grinnell College.
The Ditzlers own a farm outside of Crawfordsville, and he is fond of spending his free time there, growing fruit and repairing its old barn. Additionally, he has run a business for the past 35 summers that specializes in corn detasseling.
“I look forward to spending the upcoming months learning the core values of the college,” Ditzler concluded. “As a community, we will develop strategies to sustain the existing momentum and explore ways to make an excellent college even better.”
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