North Central’s Kimberly Sluis receives the prestigious Greenleaf Fellowship Award

Kimberly Sluis, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs and strategic initiatives at North Central College, is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Elizabeth A. Greenleaf Fellowship Award.

Sluis was nominated for the award by the Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA) faculty at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., where she earned a master of science degree in education in 2001.

“I am so grateful and proud to be a product of the HESA program, a program that continues to be a standard bearer in preparing folks for service in higher education,” said Sluis.

“I’m told that Dr. Greenleaf used to frequently say, ‘You have a big job to do. Get it done. Get it done right. Have some fun getting it done!’” said Sluis in receiving the award. “We have very big and increasingly complex jobs to do. We have the responsibility to our students and our institutions to do the job right. And, if we’re clever, we make sure that we and those around us have lots of fun doing it.”

At North Central, Sluis oversees all aspects of student development and manages the College’s strategic plan. In addition to her administrative work, Sluis teaches classes in conflict resolution, cross-cultural transition, and higher education administration.

Sluis earned a doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. She joined North Central College in 2006, after graduating in 1999 with a degree in sociology from the College. Prior to her promotion to vice president and serving as a member of the president’s cabinet, Sluis was assistant dean for student life and dean of students.

Sluis also is a 2014 alumna of the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management. She serves on the alumni board for the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Program, and is a member of the board of directors for 360 Youth Services. Sluis was a health and water sanitation volunteer with the Peace Corps in Ghana, West Africa. She continues to teach short-term study abroad courses there.

Elizabeth A. Greenleaf was professor and coordinator of the College Student Personnel Administration at Indiana University. Greenleaf made significant contributions to the development of the student affairs profession through her leadership as an educator, administrator and mentor. The award was established to acknowledge her work with women graduate students who have excelled in the classroom, demonstrated practical competence and made outstanding contributions to the quality of the learning experience in the HESA program.