Pamela Bacon named provost at Luther College

Pamela Bacon has been appointed as the new provost of Luther College, President Brad Chamberlain announced on Friday, May 30.

Pamela Bacon

Bacon joins Luther after a distinguished career as a professor and administrator at the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU) in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. For the past five years, she has helped lead academic affairs and later the division of student success at CSB and SJU. From 2020 to 2022, she was the dean of faculty before adding the duties of associate provost in 2022.

“Luther’s reputation as a selective liberal arts college that is known for its involved students, committed faculty and staff, and a strong sense of community inspired me to apply, and I am delighted to accept President Chamberlain’s offer,” Bacon said. “Given my experience at a faith-based residential liberal arts college and my own life-changing experiences attending a residential liberal arts college, I am excited to engage with the challenges and opportunities that are ahead for Luther College.”

“Dr. Bacon brings to Luther College a passion for supporting the holistic development that students should experience, inside and outside of the classroom, at residential, liberal arts colleges,” Chamberlain said. “Informed by her academic training as a social psychologist and her progressive experience as an academic administrator, Dr. Bacon’s empathetic, relational and collaborative approach emphasizes engaging stakeholders, considering alternative perspectives, and using data to inform decision-making processes.”

Located in central Minnesota, CSB is a women’s college and SJU is a men’s college. The two institutions share a single president, common curriculum, academic offices and faculty. In her role with CSB and SJU, Bacon was one of two direct reports to the provost and worked with approximately 240 full-time faculty and 2,700 students. She oversaw the deans for curriculum and assessment and student academic success; directors for research and grants and the Center for Teaching and Learning; and operations personnel for academic affairs.

“As associate provost and dean of the faculty at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, Dr. Bacon served a key role in supporting the merger of academic affairs and student development into an integrated division,” Chamberlain said. “Her ability to create strong partnerships; to refine processes and systems that enhance clarity, communication, and collaboration; and to help academic programs adapt to a volatile higher education landscape advanced excellence and community at the institutions during a time of transition. I am excited to partner with Dr. Bacon, and I am eager to see her impact on improving the experiences of students, faculty and staff at Luther College.”

Bacon will begin her role at Luther in July, providing leadership for a division that unifies and integrates the work of academic affairs, student success and student engagement. She becomes the permanent replacement for President Chamberlain, who served as Luther’s provost for three years before his selection as Luther’s current president in October 2024.

“We know that today’s students arrive at college with different needs that are critical to their success. In response, higher education institutions are increasingly unifying academic affairs and student affairs in a model that better supports a coherent student experience,” Chamberlain said. “Luther College adopted an integrated model in 2021, and we continue to see how a focus on holistic student learning and development, inside and outside of the classroom, is providing proactive and collaborative solutions to serve our students.”

“The integrated provost model underscores Luther’s dedication to creating an environment that allows students to thrive academically and personally, embodying the essence of a residential liberal arts education. The model allows academic affairs and student affairs to
work together collaboratively to prioritize student success,” Bacon said. “I am excited to work with the team at Luther to ensure that students receive a holistic, immersive experience that is both academically enriching and personally transformative.”

Joining the Benedictine Catholic liberal arts institutions as an assistant professor of psychology in 2003, Bacon was promoted to professor in 2016. She spent a 17-year career as a member of the CSB and SJU psychology department, serving as department chair for six years, prior to her administrative positions. Her research focuses on the self concept and the impact of stereotypes and discrimination on faculty and students.

Among her honors, she received the S. Mary Grell Teacher of Distinction award in 2007. She served as co-primary investigator on a National Science Foundation S-STEM grant to increase participation and persistence among women majoring in STEM disciplines. She also served as the faculty trustee to the CSB Board of Trustees from 2012 to 2014.

A magna cum laude graduate of Carleton College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she earned a master’s and a doctorate in social psychology from Iowa State University.