Lynn Named Director for Valpo’s Institute for Leadership & Service
Elizabeth Lynn has been named as the director of Valparaiso University’s Institute for Leadership and Service, located in the Office of Campus Ministries.
“Elizabeth’s involvement with the Valparaiso community and experience with civic engagement makes her the ideal candidate to lead the Institute for Leadership and Service,” said Mark Schwehn, Valparaiso University provost. “The development of this Institute is an integral part to the University’s Strategic Plan, as we strive to fulfill our mission to prepare students to lead and serve in both church and society.”
As the Institute’s first director, Lynn joins faculty, staff, and students across the University to shape its direction and programs, with the goal of expanding and enhancing opportunities for experiential learning, service, and vocational reflection, throughout the curriculum and in the larger community. She will serve on a part-time basis, continuing her role as Senior Research Fellow in Humanities and Civic Life at Valparaiso University.
“We are thrilled to have Elizabeth on board to lead the development of the Institute for Leadership and Service,” said the Rev. Brian Johnson, executive director of Campus Ministries. “Her strong connection to the local community is exactly what the University needs to continue to build relationships with community partners and to develop strategic plans for the future of this Institute.”
Lynn brings a fitting record of accomplishment in joining academic study and reflection with civic engagement to her new role. She is a Mellon Fellow in the Humanities, and received her PhD with distinction in Religion and Literature from the University of Chicago. She subsequently served as a program officer for the Spencer Foundation and evaluation consultant for Lilly Endowment before founding the Project on Civic Reflection at Valparaiso University in 1998, and has developed the program into a leading resource center for reflective reading and discussion in civic life.
“Elizabeth will engage in leadership and service issues from both theoretical and practical spheres while deepening and broadening reflection as a pedagogy for learning,” said Johnson.
Lynn has served on the advisory board of the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at Indiana University since 2005, and on the board of directors for Indiana Humanities since 2010. She is active in the Valparaiso community, serving as a member of the Valparaiso Board of Zoning Appeals and the city’s comprehensive and strategic planning committees. Lynn’s publications include “The Civically Engaged Reader” (Great Books, 2006), which she co-edited with Adam Davis.
