As CUW’s first female vice president of academics, she plans to step back and hand the role to the next leader.
“I’ve helped stabilize the ‘ship,’ so to speak; now it’s time for the next leader to decide where we should sail next,” said Vice President of Academics Dr. Leah Dvorak. Dvorak is approaching five years in her current role; however, she has been in higher education since 1994. From 1994 to 2007, she served as a faculty member at CUW, helping to establish the PT and OT programs from the ground up.
“When I interviewed, what’s now the Health Sciences Building was literally a hole in the ground,” Dvorak said. A lifelong educator, she remained at CUW until 2007, deeply influenced by the university’s Christian mission. “It’s strengthened my faith tremendously.”
She left CUW from 2007 to 2011 to work at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she helped launch its PT program. After four years, she returned to Concordia to work in the Academic Office in a variety of roles.
A season of leadership
Dvorak said five years as vice president is a good run and it’s time for a new perspective. Along the way, she helped establish the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, or CELT, which supports faculty development and excellence.
“That’s been one of my favorite parts, along with teaching itself,” she said. “Before I became chief academic officer, I was able to both teach and lead, and that combination was really fulfilling.”
Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy Dr. Dale Gerke (’00), PT, MPT, ScD, was a former student of Dvorak’s. He recalls her enthusiasm and dedication to teaching, which inspired genuine excitement in her students.
“Her passion for anatomy was evident and contagious,” Gerke said. “I remember that Dr. Dvorak encouraged us to explore anatomy beyond our investigations in the lab or the classroom. I will never forget being given the freedom to open several elbow joints independently in the cadaver lab.”
Dvorak was among the “most impactful and effective instructors” Gerke learned from. “Her dynamic teaching style and unforgettable anatomy drawings made anatomical structures difficult to forget,” he said.
Leading through change
“Academics is really the heart of what we do.”
Dvorak has been instrumental in launching several strong new programs and building a talented leadership team composed of six deans and two associate vice presidents.
Her current role involves overseeing all academic functions of the university—faculty, curriculum, research and grants, along with the library, registrar and international education offices—and it has come with challenges.
“Higher education is contracting, not expanding, and that’s led to some hard decisions—downsizing, closing programs, restructuring,” she said. “None of those choices were mine originally, but I had to implement them. It’s been challenging, but those tough calls have helped put Concordia in a much more stable financial position today.”
As she looks toward retirement, Dvorak hopes she has helped shift CUW’s culture toward data-informed decision-making. “We now use evidence to guide choices about programs, hiring and budgeting—something we didn’t always do.”
Dvorak also strived for excellence and accountability among faculty. “Our students deserve the best education possible,” she said. “That’s what keeps me up at night—the idea that any student might not be getting a great learning experience.”
On the horizon, she is planning a sabbatical, a possible study abroad experience as a Fulbright scholar, some special projects for President Erik Ankerberg’s office, and, of course, more time with her five grandchildren.
“Maybe even reading all those books I haven’t gotten to yet,” she said.
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