Steven Titus Named President of Midland Lutheran College

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
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