Bradley Phillips makes Luther College’s Center for Faith and Life feel like home for students, alumni and Decorah community

After nearly four decades of mentoring students and welcoming guests to concerts, distinguished lectures, royal visits, and Center Stage Series performances, Bradley Phillips is closing the curtain on his 37-year career at Luther College.

Bradley Phillips

“There are so many wonderful things that have happened while I’ve been here. We’ve had wonderful lectures, and all of the theater, dance and music have been really cool too. What we do is pretty phenomenal,” said Phillips, assistant director for programming and outreach at Luther.

This summer, Phillips will retire after 37 years at Luther. The Decorah community is invited to his retirement reception taking place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 15 in the lobby of the Center for Faith and Life (CFL). Luther College’s a cappella student groups, Beautiful Mess, Undeclared and Uptempo, will provide music at the reception. The event is open to the public.

Phillips was hired as the Brandt Hall director in 1989. After two years in that role, he transitioned to the campus programming office and has been there ever since. He has been offered other positions on and off campus through the years but has turned them down because he wanted to stay connected to Luther students. His office is embellished with photos, handwritten notes, signed tickets and programs and inside-joke-style doodles on scraps of paper curated during his time at Luther.

“The Box Office students are my joy. This is a home. They are always welcomed here. They are comfortable here. This is a very safe environment where everyone is accepted,” Phillips said.

Phillips cultivates a tight-knit community and prides himself on how closely the students work together. As their mentor, Phillips maintains an open door policy and is willing to listen when they want to talk about their challenges. His caring attitude guides his work and sets the standard for customer service within the CFL.

“I take care of my students because if I don’t take care of my students, they can’t take care of the customers,” Phillips said. “We have a lot of stuff going on inside this building and we need to be hospitable. We need to make the CFL a great environment for people and greet people and make the CFL feel like a home. Because we take care of our people, we hardly ever have an issue with a customer because we take care of them.”

And if there is an issue?

“We fix it,” Phillips said.

In addition to being the assistant director for programming and outreach at the CFL, Phillips also advises the Performing Arts Committee, made up of Luther students, with Susan Potvin, director of programming and outreach. Phillips is also the advisor for three ultimate frisbee teams.

He received the Luther College Staff Excellence Award for the 2017-18 academic year. This award recognizes exemplary performance by staff members who consistently excel in their position and demonstrate integrity and a strong commitment to the mission and values of Luther.

Phillips’ official last day on campus is Aug. 28, 2026.