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Dr. Amanda Nienow began her Gustavus career in 2007, in the department of chemistry. She obtained her PhD in (Physical) Chemistry at the University of Minnesota and completed a brief post-doctoral fellowship at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. In 2013, she was promoted to Associate Professor and in 2018, was promoted to Professor. She has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications with undergraduate students related to environmental fate and photochemistry of herbicides. She recently won the Janet Anderson Award from the Midstates Consortium for Math and Sciences for her work mentoring students in undergraduate research. Dr. Nienow served as co-chair of the Chemistry Department from 2015-2020 and 2023-2026 with Dr. Dwight Stoll. She currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Research and regularly teaches SIG-370, Signature Experience - Research along with physical chemistry courses.

Dr. Richard Leitch earned his BA in East Asian Studies from Colby College in 1985, and went on to earn an MA in Asian Studies from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign after a two-year career on Wall Street. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from Illinois in 1995, where he was the recipient of the Harriet and Charles Luckman Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching, and the College of Liberal Arts Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Graduate Assistant. He has been a member of the Political Science Department since 1996, where he teaches courses in International Relations, Comparative Politics, Asian Politics, Environmental Politics, and the Politics of Poverty. In 2000 he received the Swenson-Bunn Award for Teaching Excellence at Gustavus, and in 2008 the Edgar M. Carlson Award for Distinguished Teaching. In 2012 he was included in The Princeton Review's The Best 300 Professors. He was recognized as an Honorary Gustie by the Gustavus Alumni Association in 2024. His research interests include Japanese domestic politics and foreign policy, and he is the co-author of Japan's Role in the Post-Cold War World. A frequent speaker to off-campus groups, Leitch has given numerous presentations focused on US foreign policy, US-China relations, and geopolitical issues. 

Marcia J. Bunge, PhD, is Professor of Religion and holds the Drell and Adeline Bernhardson Distinguished Endowed Chair of Lutheran Studies. Bunge earned her BA in Music and English from St. Olaf College (Phi Beta Kappa) and her MA and PhD.in Theology from the University of Chicago. She also studied at the University of Tübingen and conducted research in Germany as a Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellow. Before coming to Gustavus in 2013, she was Professor of Humanities and Theology at the Honors College of Valparaiso University. Since 2014, she has served as an Extraordinary Research Professor at North-West University in South Africa.  

Bunge’s teaching and scholarship have addressed issues in theology, social and environmental ethics, women’s studies, childhood studies, and inter-religious studies. A central focus of her scholarship is conceptions of and commitments to children in diverse religious traditions. She has published numerous articles and six books on the subject, including The Child in Christian Thought (Eerdmans, 2001) and Children, Adults, and Shared Responsibilities: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Perspectives (Cambridge University Press, 2012). From 2013–2017, she served as a core collaborator in the interdisciplinary “European Childhoods” project at the University of Oslo and co-edited one of its volumes, Nordic Childhoods 1750–1960: From Folk Beliefs to Pippi Longstocking (Routledge, 2018).

Related to her scholarship on children, Bunge has also written extensively on moral and spiritual formation and Lutheran perspectives on education and vocation. She is co-editor of So that All May Flourish: The Aims of Lutheran Higher Education (Fortress, 2023), translator of selected writings by the German theologian and educator Johann Gottfried Herder, and co-founder of the Gustavus Academy for Faith, Science, and Ethics. From 2023–2025, she contributed to the “Character Development, Ethical Education, and Value Transmission” project co-hosted by Emory University and Heidelberg University.

Drawing on her areas of expertise, Bunge has contributed to academic and advocacy initiatives around the world and secured more than $4.5 million in research, institutional, and civic engagement grants. She lectures widely, has served on international editorial boards and academic committees, and co-founded the Childhood Studies and Religion Program Unit of the American Academy of Religion. Her advocacy work includes child-focused projects, such as Georgetown University’s “Collaborative on Global Children's Issues,” and justice-related initiatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the World Council of Churches, and faith-based organizations. As a Lutheran theologian and holder of the Bernhardson Chair, she also cultivates relationships between Gustavus and other ELCA-affiliated institutions in the United States and abroad.

Bunge’s collaborations have connected her with colleagues and initiatives across six continents and reflect her enduring commitments to interdisciplinary inquiry, inter-religious engagement, and the flourishing of people and the planet.

Hannah Drea, MS, BSN, PHN is Nursing Faculty, a Clinical Instructor, and the Clinical Coordinator within the Gustavus Nursing Program. She has taught a variety of courses across the nursing curriculum, including Medical–Surgical Clinical, Pre-Health Professions, Public Health, and Public Health Clinical. Through these diverse teaching experiences, she supports students at different stages of their academic and professional development. She is committed to the College’s liberal arts mission, striving to help students reach their full potential, foster a passion for lifelong learning, and prepare them for lives of leadership and service. Her teaching pedagogy emphasizes student-centered and collaborative learning, encouraging students to actively construct knowledge through experiential learning while adapting to diverse learning styles.

In her role as Clinical Coordinator, Hannah facilitates high-quality clinical learning experiences by securing, scheduling, and managing student placements across healthcare settings while ensuring compliance with accreditation and regulatory standards. She serves as a liaison between the nursing program and clinical partners, overseeing site contracts, coordinating student and faculty orientations, and tracking required clinical hours. Her responsibilities include clinical placement management, partnership development with healthcare organizations, and comprehensive compliance and documentation oversight—such as immunizations, CPR certification, background checks, HIPAA training, and adherence to site-specific policies. She also monitors and evaluates the quality and effectiveness of clinical experiences to support continuous improvement and student success.

Hannah brings clinical expertise to her teaching, with a strong background in medical–surgical and endoscopy nursing. Her experience in the Endoscopy Unit includes colonoscopies, esophagogastroduodenoscopies (EGDs), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCPs), BRAVO placements, dilations, pre-operative EGDs for bariatric surgery, and bronchoscopies. She has also been involved in the implementation of robotic bronchoscopies, reflecting her engagement with advancing clinical technologies.

In her medical–surgical nursing practice, Hannah specialized in the care of patients with gastrointestinal and urinary conditions, hospice and end-of-life needs, cancer-related complications, post-surgical recovery, withdrawal management, and a wide range of other medical and surgical conditions. This breadth of experience informs her ability to connect theory to practice and prepare students for the complexities of clinical care.

In addition to her clinical coordination and teaching responsibilities, Hannah is actively engaged in professional service and collaboration through the Gustavus Nursing Program Local Advisory Board, the Minnesota Nursing Student Internship Consortium, and the MN Academic Networking Group. These collaborative groups provide guidance and direction to support best student outcomes by strengthening the connection between didactic course knowledge and clinical practice.

She actively participates in ongoing continuing education to remain current in nursing practice and education. Her professional memberships include the National League for Nursing and the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, through which she stays connected to best practices in nursing education and clinical coordination, further enriching her work with students and colleagues.