Teamwork
MAKES THE REYNDERS DREAM WORK by Erin Edlund
One doesn’t need to read far into The Chronicle of Higher Education to see that the average length of service for college and university administrators continues to shrink each year. Studies show that the current tenure of a president is typically around five to six years. The average years served for vice presidents and other senior leadership is even smaller. Within the senior leadership of Morningside University, though, things are much different. President John Reynders’ 22 years of service are impressive but easily topped by Morningside University’s Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment Terri Curry with an incredible 36 years of service. Vice President for Business and Finance Ron Jorgensen has 25 years of service. Recently retired Vice President for Academic Affairs Bill Deeds served Morningside for 19 years, and former Vice President for 22 | MORNINGSIDE.EDU
Advancement Tom Rice held positions at Morningside for 30 years.
The consistency of that leadership over the last two decades has been vital to creating an environment for success. John Reynders reflected, “In my early years there was a great deal of transition and upheaval. We all went through a lot the first five years or so I was here. It was hard work. Once we got through it, though, I think we all agreed that we wanted to stick around to reap the benefits of that work. Now in these last few years, it’s been about seeing how we take things to the next level and set things up for continued success in the future,” said Reynders. Hear a little about how each member of the leadership team has played their part.
