Mark Willhardt

Dean of the Faculty
Vice President, Academic Affairs

B.A. – Macalester (Minnesota) College, English, 1987

M.A. – Rutgers University, English, 1989

Ph.D. – Rutgers University, English, 1993

A specialist in modern Scottish poetry and, for the past 20 years, a professor of English, I’ve also published on folk and funk, and edited both anthologies and reference works on cross-gendered and world poetries.

For the past decade, however, my professional efforts have focused institutionally, chairing the English Department as well as the faculty budget committee, coordinating our FYE (“Introduction to the Liberal Arts”), and leading Monmouth’s first Mellon Grant to improve the academic program.

Since 2018, I’ve been honored to serve as Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs – which just means I get to help our talented faculty find ways to engage and enlighten our students.

I was actually raised in the Monmouth College community, since my father was a professor here for 35 years. Both of my parents graduated from Monmouth.

Although I trained and worked around the United States, I really wanted the community – intellectual, social and professional – which colleges such as Monmouth provide.

I was delighted, then, to return to Monmouth, first as a faculty member, since its vision of liberal arts is not one I simply profess; it’s one I’ve lived for the majority of my life.