Dr. Rick Engstrom Named Vice President for Student Development
Dr. Rick Engstrom has accepted a promotion to the role of Vice President for Student Development, beginning on June 1st. In a recent message to faculty and staff, President Castleberry announced that Dr. Engstrom’s role will expand to include oversight of residence life/housing, multicultural life, community life, campus security, the Wellness Center, and athletics. President Castleberry added that “Rick is the best student development professional I have worked with during my 37-year career in higher education. He has a terrific team around him—most of whom he has hired—and he consistently makes godly, mature decisions that ensure the unity of our community, the integrity of our Christian identity, and the overall wellbeing of everyone here. He has played a big part in our success over the past few years—especially during the hard times brought by a global pandemic. Through it all, he has consistently asked what else he could do, taking on greater and greater responsibility until a promotion to senior leadership became the natural next step.” Engstrom will also join the Senior Leadership Team, which according to President Castleberry, “ensures that the voice of students is represented at the highest level of administration—a matter of no small importance.”
Dr. Engstrom has 16 years of college student development experience, including the past seven at Northwest University as Dean of Student Development. Engstrom earned his doctorate in educational leadership from Seattle University, a master’s degree in theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy/theology from Point Loma Nazarene University. His experience as a student and professional in Christian higher education especially led Engstrom to appreciate Northwest University: “There is genuinely no other place I’d rather be. I love Northwest. Our mission, core values, and learning objectives—both in and out of the classroom—center on doing something unique. Seeing our goals realized in the lives of students is a profound grace.”
Engstrom expressed his heartfelt desire to create conditions and experiences for students to thrive, belong, and grow, as well as his gratitude for the new and continuing opportunities present in this vice president role: “I cannot wait to work more closely with the fantastic staff and student-athletes in our Athletic Department. Continuing to serve alongside the dynamic, gifted professionals on the Student Development and Wellness Center teams is such a blessing. They care deeply about mentoring students, apprenticing Jesus and creating a transformational student experience here at Northwest.”