Coe College provost, DEI advocate, leaving for university in Minneapolis

CEDAR RAPIDS — Six years after joining Coe College as provost — also serving as interim dean of students, Title IX coordinator, and collaborator on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts — Paula O’Loughlin is leaving to become provost for another private campus as Coe faces questions about its commitment to diversity efforts.

Augsburg University — a Minneapolis-based liberal arts campus of about 3,200 students — earlier this month announced O’Loughlin will become its next provost and senior vice president of academic and student affairs on July 1.

“I was not looking to leave,” O’Loughlin, 57, told The Gazette on Wednesday. “There’s still a lot I want to finish at Coe. I was drawn to the opportunity to work at Augsburg because its values and mission are so similar to Coe’s. Augsburg is about the only school that could pull me away from Coe and my work here.

“Other than the last six years, I've spent my entire 30-plus-year career in Minnesota higher education,” O’Loughlin said. “So, for myself and for my family, going back will be like going home.”

Coe College — Cedar Rapids’ private liberal arts college of about 1,400 students — didn’t publicly announce O’Loughlin’s departure.

But Coe President David Hayes — on the same day Augsburg made public its selection — shared internally with his campus community that she’d accepted the new role, according to Coe spokeswoman Natalie Milke.

O’Loughlin is planning to leave Coe in late May, according to Milke.

In 2016, O’Loughlin joined Coe as its provost and dean of faculty after serving four years as associate provost and dean of arts and humanities at Gustavus Adolphus College, a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minn. — an hour southwest of Augsburg and an hour north of Iowa.

She also earned her doctorate at the University of Minnesota.

Since arriving in Cedar Rapids, Coe has added interim dean of students and Title IX coordinator to O’Loughlin’s titles. She’s also taken a leadership role in the campus’ diversity efforts — given her background working on those issues at Gustavus.

Diversity efforts

Although Coe has received praise on a national level for its diversity, equity and inclusion work — that area has emerged as a hot and, at times, controversial topic for Coe following the 2021 retirement of former Coe President David McInally and the search for his replacement.

That search, culminating in Interim President David Hayes’ hire, sparked controversy after longtime Coe board of trustees member Darryl Banks said he was disparaged and insulted by a white board member after raising diversity concerns about the search from fellow “Black, Indigenous, and people of color” on the presidential search committee.

“Over the last six years, it has been an honor to work with David McInally and his team as they made transformative progress and demonstrated a solid commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at Coe,” Banks wrote in a November resignation letter, recounting his work crafting a June 2020 motion articulating a “clear statement of action and support for racial justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

More recently, though, Banks said he became concerned and frustrated with Coe’s waning focus on diversity, equity and inclusion issues, as did the Coe College Black Alumni Association — which recently identified O’Loughlin as a bright spot in Coe’s DEI efforts while also criticizing the campus’ handling of Banks and the board’s commitment to policies, procedures and actions that advance racial and social justice.

“The persistent support of Darryl Banks and his fellow members of the Coe College board of trustees … working in alliance with the enlightened leadership of then President David McInally and College Provost Paula O’Loughlin, were significant contributors to making these achievements a reality,” the Coe Black Alumni Association wrote in a recent letter to the editor naming trustees and administrators who have left Coe — or are planning to.

In talking with The Gazette, O’Loughlin said Coe has taken strides in its diversity efforts and engaged in work she’s proud of — although, like most campuses, she said its DEI work “remains unfinished.”

“I respect their thoughts greatly,” O’Loughlin said of the Coe critics. “Where I personally differ is based on my experience being on campus and having worked closely with the people who will still be here after I leave. I have full confidence in President Hayes and other senior leaders and the entire Coe community to continue to move the college forward on DEI.”

The right way to make change is broadly, as a community, she said.

“I think Coe is moving steadily forward on the right path,” O’Loughlin said. “I'm here on campus every day, and that evidence is on campus. Our BIPOC faculty and staff numbers have continued to increase. There's been significant increases in the funding of DEI efforts, including the addition of a search right now for a new DEI dean.”

O’Loughlin said she recognizes some think she’s leaving Coe due to criticism over its presidential search or DEI commitment.

“That’s not true,” she said. “I'm pursuing my calling at about the only higher education institution I can imagine leaving Coe for.”

'Still standing’

In light of O’Loughlin’s looming departure, Coe President Hayes has met with a faculty executive committee to begin “exploring Coe’s next steps in seeking a new chief academic officer, including the consideration of an interim appointment and the timeline for moving forward,” Milke said, noting a search committee will be involved.

“Fully committed to the entirety of the Coe experience, the breadth of Paula’s contributions and impact at Coe have been significant,” Hayes said in a statement about O’Loughlin. “During her time in our community, she served in many capacities, including overseeing academic affairs and providing leadership to student life and our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion.”

She also supported the campus’ continued operations through the pandemic and the August 2020 derecho, Hayes said.

O’Loughlin said much sticks in her mind about her time at Coe — from creating new programs and majors; launching a new Center for Health and Society; diversifying the faculty, staff and student body; navigating the pandemic; and recovering from the derecho.

“We're so proud of not just surviving but actually thriving, beating the headwinds within higher education right now, still standing, still doing their mission, and that's a beautiful thing,” she said. “And the number of students who are walking across the stage with college degrees continues to grow.”

As Augsburg provost, O’Loughlin will step in as the university’s second-ranking officer and will serve on the president’s leadership team.

“The Augsburg community is deeply impressed by Dr. O’Loughlin’s career-long focus on preserving and widening access to excellent higher education; her experience with staff and faculty development; and her commitment to transparency, shared governance and the healthy communal life of higher education institutions,” Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow said in a statement. “She was the top choice of each stakeholder group she met with during her candidacy.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com