PLU Interim Leadership Announced

Dear Campus Community:

I am happy to share with you the news that the Board of Regents of PLU voted on Saturday to elect Mr. Allan Belton—who currently serves as senior vice president and chief administrative officer—to the post of acting president, effective June 1. Allan will continue to lead the division of Administrative Services and he will be tasked with the duties and authorities set forth in the faculty constitution and bylaws for the president of the university.

In a related move, the board also named Dr. Joanna Gregson, professor of Sociology and chair of the faculty, to the post of acting associate president and academic counsel. Joanna will assume full-time administrator status, while Dr. Michelle Ceynar, professor of Psychology, will assume the role of chair of the faculty.

Allan’s financial acumen and extensive background in managing large, complex organizations will provide stability and continuity of university leadership, while Joanna’s academic background and her 19 years of service to PLU will infuse the work of the academic division into our strategic plans, including partnering with Provost Rae Linda Brown on academic program review.

Joanna will collaborate with, support, and advise the acting president and President’s Council, and she will represent Allan—and PLU—when he is otherwise engaged or in areas and events where her skills are deemed most appropriate. This team-based approach will relieve Allan of some of the duties typically associated with the president, allowing him to continue his leadership in the areas of finance and administration. Allan and Joanna will serve in these acting roles until the search for a long-term successor is completed.

Allan and Joanna are approachable, trusted leaders whose complementary skill sets are ideally suited to paving the way for a new president. I feel confident that these two individuals, supported by a depth of leadership on the President’s Council and a dedicated and committed faculty, will allow PLU’s mission, to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities and for the Earth, to continue to flourish.

My sincere thanks to the Acting President Task Force for their careful consideration and thoughtful deliberations. Please join me in congratulating Allan and Joanna on their new roles, and in supporting them through this important transitional period.

Best regards,
Ed Grogan
Chair, PLU Board of Regents