Gustavus Adolphus College Dean Appointed to Endowed Chair
ST. PETER, Minn. (April 11, 2000) – Elizabeth R. Baer, vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, and professor of English at Gustavus Adolphus College since July 1, 1992, is resigning from her administrative positions at the end of the academic year to return to full-time teaching and research.
Before returning to the classroom, Baer will spend time conducting research and writing. She is co-editing, with daughter Hester Baer, the book The Blessed Abyss: Inmate #6582 in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp for Women, to be published by Wayne State University Press in November. She is also co-editing, with Myrna Goldenberg, an anthology of essays on gender and the Holocaust.
A recipient of a Fulbright Scholar award, Baer will participate in a three-week summer seminar in Germany on “History and Memory: Jewish Past and Present in Germany.” One of 25 awardees, Baer will join other Holocaust and Jewish studies scholars from the United States in examining the political, social, and economic institutions of Germany.
Baer will resume teaching in the Gustavus English department next Spring Semester. During Fall Semester, she will teach a course on women and the Holocaust at the University of Minnesota, offered in conjunction with the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, the Center for Advanced Feminist Studies, and the Jewish Studies Program.
At Gustavus, Baer will hold the rotating Florence and Raymond Sponberg Professorship in Ethics, which involves developing programs that enhance ethical reflection and service learning throughout campus.
“I’m very excited to return to the classroom,” said Baer. “Teaching is my first love and even while I’ve held administrative positions I’ve always made time for teaching students.”
Prior to coming to Gustavus, Baer served as provost at Washington College, assistant dean at Sweet Briar College, and director of the reading and study skill center at Dartmouth College. At each institution she also served as a faculty member, teaching various English classes. Baer holds Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. degrees in English from Indiana University, New York University, and Manhattanville College respectively.
The search for a new dean of faculty will begin this summer. David Fienen has agreed to serve in the position until a permanent replacement is hired. Fienen, professor of organ and church music and organist at Christ Chapel, has performed this service twice before.
Gustavus Adolphus College is a residential, liberal arts college that grants undergraduate degrees in 65 majors. The college, overlooking St. Peter and the Minnesota River Valley, was founded by Swedish Lutheran immigrants and named for Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. Gustavus is the oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota. At Gustavus, personal attention rules as small-sized classes are the norm and many students engage in collaborative research with their professors. Fully accredited and well known for its strong writing, science, music, athletic, and service-learning programs, Gustavus hosts a local chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference.
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