Dr. Darrin Good has been named the 17th president of Nebraska Wesleyan University.
Nebraska Wesleyan University Board of Governors Chair Susan Gourley announced the appointment today, following unanimous approval by the university’s governing body.
“Dr. Good is an energetic, values-based leader, who is a sincere advocate for the liberal arts,” said Gourley. “He is student-centered and innovative as proven in the many programs and partnerships he has developed to benefit the institutions and students he has served.”
“He is a champion for diversity and inclusion efforts, as evidenced not only through his vocational journey but through his personal values and qualities,” Gourley continued.
“He embodies every characteristic that the Board of Governors and the Presidential Search Committee sought out in its next leader, and I am confident Dr. Good will provide the steady and thoughtful leadership necessary to continue Nebraska Wesleyan’s success and momentum well into the future,” she said.
Since 2015, Good has served as vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Whittier College, located near Los Angeles, Calif. Whittier College is one of the country’s most ethnically/racially diverse private national liberal arts colleges with an enrollment of 1,700 students.
In his role at Whittier, Good is responsible for 20 academic departments with 130 full-time faculty and several offices that support the academic mission of the institution. He oversees hiring, personnel evaluation, budget and curriculum. He is known for his commitment to consensus-building, shared governance, and diversity, equity and inclusion. He has worked closely with faculty, staff and students to develop policies and programs that strengthen Whittier’s academic programs including developing new majors and revenue-generating programs. Under his leadership, the faculty has initiated major curricular revision, improved Title IX policies, and improved faculty evaluation practices. He helped create and serves on both the school’s Inclusion and Diversity Committee as well as the Student Success Task Force. Good also serves as the Title IX Deputy Director.
Among his achievements at Whittier College, are:
- Creation of a certificate program in healthcare leadership, which generated nearly $1 million in revenue in its first three years;
- Creation of the GPS Study Abroad Program, which provides a $2,000 scholarship to every student who studies abroad;
- Creation of the Faculty Development Program to nurture and support high-quality teaching, advising and scholarship;
- Worked with faculty to implement interdisciplinary and collaborative space utilization to facilitate cross-disciplinary approach to STEM education in Whittier’s award-winning science building remodel;
- Collaborated with the college’s admission office to capitalize on Whittier’s academic programs and new Science and Learning Center to attract the school’s largest first-year classes in decades in 2017 and 2018.
Prior to Whittier College, Good served as the associate provost and dean of science and education at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., from 2012-2015. Prior to that he was a biology professor at his alma mater, Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., where he assumed administrative roles including director of service learning and leadership initiatives, director of summer academic programs, director of Nicaragua Medical Service Learning Program, chair of the Division of Natural Sciences, chair of the Governing Board of the Pre-Health Professions, and admissions coordinator for biology and pre-health professions.
While at Augustana, Good was chosen by the graduating class six times to present the year’s “Last Lecture Address,” among the school’s highest teaching and mentoring honors.
Good earned his bachelor’s degree with a major in biology from Augustana College and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Kansas. Good and his wife, Diana, have an adult daughter.
“I am humbled and honored to serve as the 17th president of Nebraska Wesleyan University,” said Good. “The university’s reputation for excellence is known throughout the country.”
“The mission and ethos of this great institution resonate deeply with my wife’s and my core values,” he added. “I will work tirelessly to continue NWU’s tradition of student-centered learning that is rooted in the liberal arts, its commitment to community engagement, respect for the value and dignity of each individual, and the high impact co-curricular experiences that have been the hallmark of a Nebraska Wesleyan education.”
He begins his work at NWU on July 1st. He takes over for President Fred Ohles who is retiring after 12 years at NWU.