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Elizabeth Kubek is a Professor of English, specializing in Literary Theory; Interdisciplinary and Gender Studies; Medical Humanities; and new/emerging media, including the early novel and graphic narrative (comics). While attending the University of Rochester she was the inaugural Susan B. Anthony Fellow for Women’s Studies. Originally tenured at Benedictine University, in 2019 she was hired to serve at Gustavus as Associate Provost, Dean of Arts and Humanities, and Director of General Education, also with tenure.  With two decades of experience in academic administration, she serves as Faculty Director for Student Academic Success and Director of Summer Term. Dr. Kubek is also a founding member of the President’s Council on Indigenous Relations, and serves as an ombudsman and a Kendall Center AI Fellow.  

Dr. Kubek holds multiple certifications in accessible and inclusive course design, with significant experience in online and hybrid course design and delivery, including for non-traditional student populations. Her teaching, advising, and scholarship all revolve around literacy and education as empowerment, with a focus on underrepresented groups, from contemporary non-traditional and non-neurotypical learners in the liberal arts classroom to early modern women writers discovering cities as sites of professional growth and self-invention. 

Recent presentations include sessions for The Grading Conference on asset-based, student-centered assignment design, and on fostering “AI resistance” through intrinsic motivation. Another recent conference paper, for the Pacific and Modern Literature Association, examined the theory that graphic narratives foster empathy by activating non-verbal brain systems involved in facial recognition and emotional “sense making.” Her current writing project, tentatively entitled Paramours, focuses on parasocial relationships and the function of verbal narrative as emotional “training,” from early modern romantic fictions to chatbot/human interactions. This research is also the basis for her AI/Human Relations Challenge Seminar (Spring 2027).

When not teaching she enjoys reading romance novels, watching classic and contemporary films with her family, and disappearing down Reddit rabbit holes.

John C. Volin, PhD serves as the 18th President of Gustavus. 

Following a postdoctoral fellowship in plant physiological ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Volin accepted a faculty position at Florida Atlantic University, where he rose to the rank of full professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and served as the director of the Environmental Sciences graduate program. Volin joined the University of Connecticut in 2007 to head the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, advancing to serve as Vice Provost of Academic Affairs. From 2020-2025, Volin served as the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Maine, where his portfolio included oversight of more than 1,000 faculty and staff and a budget of over $250 million. Volin is recognized as a national leader in using evidence-based practices to support holistic student wellbeing. He serves on the Executive Committee of the LearningWell Coalition and is a co-founder and senior advisor of LearningWell magazine.

Born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Volin holds a BS in botany and biology and an MS in agronomy from the South Dakota State University, and a PhD in forestry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Volin and his wife, Valeria, have five children and six grandchildren.

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Dr. Betsy Bolint (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Nursing who enjoys helping students prepare for nursing careers that are both skilled and compassionate. With a strong clinical background and a commitment to teaching, she brings real-world healthcare experience into the classroom within a Lutheran, faith-based liberal arts setting. While attending Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, she developed an appreciation for the liberal arts and whole-person learning—an approach that continues to shape how she teaches and supports students. Her advanced clinical training as a nurse practitioner informs her teaching and supports her goal of preparing students to enter clinical practice with confidence, competence, and professional integrity.

Dr. Bolint is committed to service and caring for underserved communities. Her clinical and service experiences have focused on improving access to healthcare and addressing health inequities. She encourages students to see service, advocacy, and compassion as essential parts of nursing and as values that align with the Lutheran tradition. Her scholarly interests include translational research, with a focus on bridging evidence-based research and clinical practice to improve patient outcomes and healthcare quality. She helps students understand that research is not just something done in academic settings—it is a practical tool nurses use to improve care and make informed decisions.

As an educator, Dr. Bolint works to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students are challenged, encouraged, and treated as individuals. She emphasizes clinical readiness, ethical decision-making, and building professional confidence. Helping students make connections between coursework and patient care is central to her teaching style. One of her favorite parts of teaching is working closely with students as they prepare for their future in nursing. She values mentoring students through both the challenges and successes of nursing school and enjoys watching them grow into capable, compassionate nurses who are ready to care for patients, families, and communities.

Grounded in Lutheran values of service, care for neighbors, and respect for the dignity of every person, Dr. Bolint views nursing education as both a profession and a calling. Through teaching, mentorship, service, and clinical application, she helps prepare nursing graduates to enter the profession with strong skills, confidence, and a clear sense of purpose.

Dr. Green serves as continuing assistant professor and clinical education coordinator for the Master of Athletic Training Program. He has both clinical and didactic experience in the areas of orthopedics, rehabilitation, primary care, and diagnostic ultrasound. He has published in the Journal of Athletic Training Education on parallels between primary care and the athletic training practice. He is also a practicing clinician for the past 18 years in college/university, multi-specialty orthopedics, performing arts, and occupational health settings. 

Sharon Marquart is a Professor of French and Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, and she also serves as Director of the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Program. Dr. Marquart is also affiliated with the Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies Program, the Latin American, Latinx, and Caribbean Studies Program, and the Comparative Literature Program. At Gustavus, she teaches courses on global French cinema, graphic novels, and literature, as well as topics such as the Holocaust, revolution and rebellion, feminist philosophy, disability, and trauma testimony. In May term, Dr. Marquart teaches a travel course to Paris that centers the stories of marginalized communities in the city. She holds a PhD in French literature and culture from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and she has taught and studied at universities throughout the United States, Canada, and France.

Dr. Marquart’s research is located at the intersection of feminist philosophy and of literary and cultural studies. Her research has been funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Lurcy Foundation, and she frequently collaborates on it with students. She has published extensively on issues of gender and trauma in Nazi camp testimonies and, most recently, on the AIDS crisis in the Caribbean. Dr. Marquart is the author of On the Defensive: Reading the Ethical in Nazi Camp Testimonies (University of Toronto Press, 2015), co-editor (with David Caron of the University of Michigan) of a volume of essays published in France on Auschwitz survivor Charlotte Delbo, and her work has been published in The Routledge Companion to Literature and Trauma, French Forum, H-France Forum, The Romanic Review, Ethnologies, and various essay collections on World War II and the Holocaust. She is completing a book on care that features a chapter co-authored with her former student at Gustavus, Ellie Hartmann. Please contact Dr. Marquart for current student research opportunities related to her work.

Dr. Marquart’s interests outside of the classroom include camping, gardening, photography, all things cats, and travel, especially in the French-speaking world. She is an advocate for students, faculty, and staff of all backgrounds and abilities and welcomes discussion about ways to create more inclusive and just communities on campus and beyond.

Tara Cadenhead serves as the Instructor of the Practice in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where she is also the Director of the Center for Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership (CIEL). A Gustavus alumna herself, Tara brings a unique blend of high-level corporate strategy and "maker" entrepreneurship to the Hill, providing students with a practical roadmap for turning creative ideas into sustainable ventures.

Tara’s teaching is informed by nearly two decades of leadership in the corporate sector. During her tenure at FICO, a leading provider of analytics and CRM software, she led talent management and organizational change initiatives, specializing in aligning human capital with strategic business goals. Later, at Target Corporation, she served as a key advisor to Supply Chain leadership, and then played a strategic communication and change leadership role in launching a new enterprise-wide talent system and related processes for a workforce of more than 70,000 users.

In addition to her corporate background, Tara is the founder of Marquess Studios, a creative venture based in Stillwater, Minnesota, that emphasizes intentional design and community-focused commerce. Experience as a small business owner allows her to mentor students with authentic insights into brand storytelling, lean product development, and the resilience required to launch a startup.

In the classroom, Tara emphasizes experiential learning and vocational discovery. She views entrepreneurship as a multidisciplinary mindset relevant to every major, from the fine arts to the hard sciences. Her courses function as laboratories where students are encouraged to iterate, take calculated risks, and solve complex problems through "failing forward."

As the Director of CIEL, Tara spearheads initiatives that foster a culture of innovation across the entire campus. She oversees the Gustie Cup, the college’s premier entrepreneurship competition which offers significant seed money prizes across "Scalable" and "Sustainable" categories. In this role, she mentors student founders through intensive Start-Up Labs and 1:1 consulting sessions, while engaging alumni and industry experts to enhance the viability of students' plans. Gustie Cup winners have advanced as semi-finalists in the statewide Minnesota Cup. Her service extends to the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem, where she builds bridges between Gustavus and Minnesota’s business leaders, alumni mentors, and economic organizations, and recently represented Gustavus on an International Economic Development trip to Ireland.

Outside of her work at the College, Tara is deeply committed to community-driven service and regional development. She is most interested in exploring public-private partnerships to maximize social and economic impact. Tara is a founding Board member for Connect Lake Elmo, where she helps guide initiatives that enhance local connectivity and economic vitality. Her dedication to service is further highlighted by her previous involvement with Rotary International, various non-profit organizations, and was recently nominated as "Volunteer of the Year" by the Stillwater Area Chamber of Commerce. When not mentoring the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, she enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with her family.  

Phillip Voight is the Director of the Nobel Conference and teaches courses in new media, reality television, documentary film, argumentation studies, communication research methods and genocide studies. He is the former speech and debate coach and is a member of the Pi Kappa Delta Hall of Fame. He has also served on a number of non-profit Boards, including the GLCAC (Gay Lesbian Community Action Council, Philanthrofund, Outfront Minnesota, the South Saint Paul Educational Foundation, and Pi Kappa Delta.) He is also an avid traveler and has taken more than 175 trips abroad.

Dr. Jeff Ford has been a visiting assistant professor of mathematics at Gustavus since 2016. He has taught almost every mathematics course offered at Gustavus. His research is in topology, dynamical systems, and mathematics education. Dr. Ford has supervised three honors theses, two interdisciplinary research projects, and six independent studies. He has co-authored two books in dynamical systems and one in linear algebra. He is committed to providing open access educational materials to students and encouraging teachers to use active and inclusive pedagogy. To that end, he has presented more than 20 times at conferences on active learning and alternative grading. 

Lisa "LD" Dembouski, Ph.D., has been a mental health worker, Peace Corps Volunteer, and wilderness survival counselor before beginning work in her true passion and profession: education. She taught for 15 years in public K-12 schools before finding her next true love in teacher preparation at Gustavus, where she instructs a variety of courses and supervises teacher candidates in field placements. LD also devotes a great deal of her time and energy supporting Global Educators, a highly unique opportunity for Gusties to complete part of their student teaching semester in "away" destinations.

Kate Aguilar is an active part of the History Department (assistant professor of African American and Sport History); Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies; African/African Diaspora Studies; and Sport Management. She challenges students to consider not only what Black history is, but what it does in the world. Her public scholarship includes contributions to the Washington Post and TIME magazine, and she is the Film, Media, and Museum Reviews section editor for the Journal of Sport History. Her current book expands an understanding of the revolt of the black athlete into the 1980s. She is also a part of a broader community of scholars working on campus to learn more about, implement, and assess inclusive teaching pedagogies. 

Patrick is a counseling psychologist with an interest in help-seeking behaviors, positive psychology, and psychological measurement. His recent research focused on how social and cultural factors (e.g., stigma, gender role expectations) serve as barriers to seeking out mental health care, and how positive psychological factors (e.g., self-compassion, self-affirmation) could promote seeking help. Recently, Patrick has been working on the development of brief interventions that could reduce the impact of help-seeking barriers. In addition to this work, Patrick examines the reliability and validity of psychological measures across cultures to ensure that these measures can be used in cross-cultural research. Patrick utilizes advanced statistical methodology to examine these topics, like structural equation modeling and measurement invariance testing.

Yurie Hong is Professor of Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies and affiliated faculty in the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies program. Her teaching and research explore how stories, myths, and social structures from ancient Greece can help us think more deeply about ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live in. She regularly teaches ancient Greek language at all levels, courses on ancient Greek myth, culture, and society, and courses connecting the ancient world to contemporary questions and experiences.

Hong’s research centers on women, gender, and representations of pregnancy and childbirth in ancient Greece—especially the ways ancient people understood reproduction, family relationships, and social roles. Her scholarship examines topics such as the maternal-fetal relationship in ancient medical texts, the use of pregnancy and birth as metaphors for creativity and critical thinking, and the experiences of citizen, immigrant, and enslaved mothers in classical Athens. She has also published and presented widely on inclusive pedagogy, teaching about sensitive subjects such as race and gender violence in antiquity, and the personal and political relevance of classical studies today.

More recently, her work has explored connections between ancient and modern experiences, including reflections on identity, family history, democracy, and civic life. For example, she has written about arranged marriage and the myth of Persephone through the lens of her Korean grandmother’s experience as well as about political structures and crises in both American and Athenian democracy.

Across her scholarship and teaching, Hong encourages students to ask difficult questions: How do narratives shape the ways people understand themselves and others? Which perspectives are included or excluded from the stories societies tell? What can ancient cultures reveal about contemporary communities and institutions? In her classes, students are encouraged to bring their own experiences and perspectives into conversation with the ancient world to cultivate intellectual curiosity, ethical reflection, personal growth, and a deeper sense of connection to their communities and the wider world.

Hong has received the Society for Classical Studies Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics at the College Level, the Gustavus Faculty Service Award for work on the Faculty Task Force to revise the academic program, and the Mankato YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for leadership and community engagement. 

Outside the classroom, Hong enjoys finding unexpected ways to connect popular culture and the ancient world. She is known for occasionally developing mini-obsessions with a film, television series, book, or Broadway musical—and then finding creative ways to bring those interests into her teaching.