The new vice president, a professor of psychology, arrives from Fort Hays State University where she was dean of the graduate school and of the office of scholarship and sponsored projects.

Jennifer Bonds-Raacke Named New Vice President for Academic Affairs

Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, dean of the graduate school and office of scholarship and sponsored projects at Fort Hays State University (FHSU), will be the next vice president for academic affairs at St. Norbert. She joins the college on Monday, June 3.

“Dr. Bonds-Raacke immediately and expansively impressed students, faculty, staff and trustees alike with her profound and deep commitment to the St. Norbert College mission; her notable, lengthy academic record and achievements; the depth and breadth of her administrative experiences; her excellence as a teacher, scholar and academic leader; and her compelling, captivating leadership style,” says President Brian Bruess ’90.

Bonds-Raacke will oversee the college’s 141 full-time faculty and all of its academic activities and programs. In addition, the vice president of academic affairs is responsible for all curricular matters, direction of the Miriam B. & James J. Mulva Library, the honors program, the Schneider School of Business & Economics and eight academic centers including the Center for Global Engagement.

“I am humbled and honored to serve as the next vice president for academic affairs at St. Norbert College,” says Bonds-Raacke. “The Catholic, liberal arts and Norbertine traditions resonate with me due to my own educational background. From the moment I stepped on campus, I experienced the Norbertine idea of communio. This authentic, deep sense of community was transparent all around me; I was at home.”

Bonds-Raacke holds the rank of tenured professor in the department of psychology at FHSU, where she served as chair for seven years before assuming her current role. Her primary research interests are the psychology of mass communication, decision-making and the psychology of teaching. Prior to joining the faculty at FHSU, Bonds-Raacke served as the associate dean of the Maynor Honors College and as a faculty teaching fellow for the Teaching & Learning Center at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She has also been an assistant professor and faculty advisor of the honors program at Briar Cliff University. Bonds-Raacke obtained her Ph.D and M.S. from Kansas State University in experimental psychology and her B.A. from Christian Brothers University. She has been married to John Raacke for more than 19 years; they have two daughters, Callie and Brooke.

Bonds-Raacke steps into the shoes of Dean Jeff Frick (Academic Affairs), who came to St. Norbert College in 2010. Frick is stepping down to pursue other opportunities in higher-education leadership. Under Frick’s leadership, great strides were made at St. Norbert in the academic affairs area of the college, including changes to the promotion and tenure process, the addition of athletic programs, curricular development, and partnerships with the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University.

April 29, 2019