Registrar Joni Krueger resigns
If Registrar Joni Krueger is one thing, it is good at her job.
Krueger does not only perform the duties of a typical registrar: She also serves as Assistant Vice Provost and Co-Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Krueger has taken on a wide variety of other responsibilities across campus throughout her 19 years at Augustana: serving on the Undergraduate, Graduate and Core Curriculum Councils, overseeing the Student Success Center and analyzing program data to maximize scheduling efficiency.
“Joni is a ‘doer’ to the core, which I really appreciate,” Laurie Daily, dean of the Sharon Lust School of Education, wrote in an email. “She is leaving big shoes to fill.”
As Krueger puts it, the job that she does – as an individual with nearly two decades of experience at Augustana, not just as Registrar – is a bit like an onion: It has lots of layers.
For this reason, her upcoming resignation on March 14 poses a challenge for administration: deciding how to replace one person who does so many different things.
According to President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Krueger’s current responsibilities will be divided up between seven or eight individuals when she departs for a remote Registrar position with Antioch University, an online institution based in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Krueger, who is helping plan her own transition out of Augustana, recommended to administration that they hire someone to fulfill the traditional registrar position following her departure, admitting that she has been wearing “too many hats.”
She took responsibility for taking on extra roles over the years, citing a desire for professional growth and a passion for Augustana, while noting the challenge of reallocating them in a tight budget.
“I love this place, and so it’s hard for me to not take on more because I want to see Augustana succeed,” Krueger said. “So I say yes – maybe a little too often.”
Herseth Sandlin confirmed that administration will post an opening for a Registrar position in the near future.
Krueger also said that her current position with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies will likely be incorporated into Provost Joel Johnson’s plan to restructure the College of Arts and Sciences, as the goals of interdisciplinary study are an apt fit with the role of the dean.
Herseth Sandlin expressed assurance that her team will bear in mind the proximity of registration for the 2025 fall semester and do its best to ensure the process is as smooth as possible for students, despite the necessary redistribution of Krueger’s responsibilities.
Daily noted that the constancy of change on a growing campus requires hiring a great communicator who is competent and innovative.
She provided a number of examples of current actions being taken — change between Student Innovation Systems, implementation of a course renumbering project that has been in the works since spring 2023 and preparation for new hybrid accelerated programs — but also expressed hope that whoever fills the position will be open to pursuing new projects with faculty, like the development of alternative credentials such as badges, certificates and microdegrees.
Division Chair of Natural Sciences Jennifer Gubbels called Krueger “the linchpin of Augustana” and spoke highly of working with her, but Gubbels also believes in the abilities of administration and faculty to fill in gaps.
“There will be bumps for sure,” Gubbels said. “I mean, you can’t lose somebody like Joni and not have any bumps in the road, but I don’t think it’s impossible or, you know, the whole ship is gonna go down.”
Peter Folliard, dean of the School of Music, shared Gubbels’ view of things.
“The most important thing that we do when we’re in a leadership spot is hire great people, and Katelyn Musick – who’s been working over there for the last two years – is an ace,” Folliard said. “While we’ll miss [Krueger] terribly and she’ll definitely leave a hole, this place will continue without all of us at some point, you know, so it will be okay.”
In the end, Krueger herself agreed: She has confidence in the team she leaves behind and looks forward to a new chapter of her career.
“I have been here a long time and so I’ve established things, but I am very replaceable,” Krueger said. “They will hire someone who can do this job and do it well and take it to the next level, and I really feel like places benefit from fresh eyes.”
