Jennifer Bonds-Raacke Named New Vice President for Academic Affairs at St. Norbert College

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From St. Norbert College, April 2, 2019
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

Jennifer Bonds-Raacke, Ph.D., 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 College. She will begin on 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,” said St. Norbert College President Brian Bruess.

As vice president for academic affairs, 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 college’s athletic programs, the Schneider School of Business & Economics, and eight academic centers.

“I am humbled and honored to serve as the next vice president for academic affairs at St. Norbert College,” said 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, 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’s been married to John Raacke for more than 19 years; they have two daughters, Callie and Brooke.

Bonds-Raacke will replace Jeff Frick, 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.