CARLINVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A top Valparaiso University administrator has been chosen as the next president of southern Illinois’ Blackburn College.
Mark Biermann will assume the college’s presidency on Aug. 15, the school’s trustees announced Monday. Provost Dr. John McClusky has been the college’s interim president since Julie Murray-Jensen resigned in December after less than a year as president, The State-Journal Register reported.
Biermann is currently the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Valparaiso University in northwestern Indiana. He’s overseen academic programs, student affairs, retention and student success, diversity and inclusion, among other areas.
Mike Smiley, chairman of Blackburn College’s board of trustees, said Biermann’s “proven leadership and educational experience is the perfect fit for Blackburn.”
“We believe he is the right person to help shape the college’s future and we welcome him and his family to the Blackburn community,” he said in a statement.
Blackburn College is one of eight work colleges in the country and the only one that is student-managed. It’s located in Carlinville, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of St. Louis, Missouri.
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