Julie Thornton appointed Luther College’s dean of students

Luther College President Brad Chamberlain announced that Julie Thornton has been appointed as the new dean of students for Luther College.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Thornton to Luther College as our dean of students,” Chamberlain said.

Julie Thornton

With more than two decades of experience in student affairs and student-facing offices, Thornton joins Luther from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was the Title IX coordinator and oversaw equity and compliance.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Luther community to start building relationships and working collaboratively with a team to support students through the joys and challenges of college life — focused on students feeling welcomed, having a sense of belonging and finding and nurturing their passions,” Thornton said. “My experiences with students and employees on so many different college and university campuses over my professional tenure has prepared me for the important work ahead in student life at Luther.”

Her past experience at other institutions made her a strong candidate for the role.

“Luther is well regarded as a community of learners marked by deep connections among its students — connections that foster a sense of belonging and a focus upon others,” Chamberlain said. “During the selection process, Provost Pamela Bacon and I agreed that the breadth of Dr. Thorton’s past experiences, her record of implementing student-centered solutions, and her commitment to creating environments where students thrive both academically and personally closely aligned with our mission and strategic priorities associated with supporting the holistic development of students, inside and outside of the classroom.”

Bacon was recently appointed the new provost at Luther. As dean of students, Thornton will be one of the lead administrators in the Office of the Provost and work closely with Bacon.

“Her talent for building relationships and collaborating across areas makes her an ideal partner in the integrated provost model,” Bacon said. “I’m looking forward to working with her in the Office of the Provost to support and promote student success.”

While completing her doctorate in education at the University of Kansas, Thornton worked in the KU human resources office, and also served briefly as the interim associate vice chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX in Lawrence.

Before her doctoral work, Thornton was the assistant vice chancellor for students at the University of Minnesota at Rochester. She has also worked at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona. She spent almost four years as director of student activities at Washington University in St. Louis. Thornton also served as the assistant dean of students and director of residential life at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois.

A graduate of St. Olaf College majoring in speech communication and public relations, Thornton was also a multi-year all-conference and All-American runner. Early in her professional career she coached cross country and track for two colleges before moving into student life positions. She earned a master of science degree in educational administration and foundations at Illinois State University.

Thornton will begin her role at Luther in July. She is looking forward to relocating to Decorah and being an active member of the community.

“I am learning about the strong sense of community that exists in Decorah and at Luther, and I am energized about all that is to come,” she said.