Paul Pribbenow is president of Augsburg College, a private liberal arts college associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and located in Minneapolis, MN. Since joining Augsburg in 2006, Pribbenow has enhanced the College's role as an active community partner in its urban setting. By identifying and embracing initiatives that mutually benefit Augsburg and its neighbors, the College has achieved national recognition for its excellence in service learning, experiential education and inclusion and equity.
Before coming to Augsburg, Pribbenow served as president of Rockford College in Rockford, IL. He also has served as research fellow for the Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts at Wabash College, dean for College Advancement and secretary of the Board of Trustees at Wabash College, vice president of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and associate dean of the Divinity School of the University of Chicago.
Pribbenow serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the National Campus Compact Board of Directors, the Oslo Center US Foundation Board of Directors, and the national advisory board for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Locally, he is chair of the Central Corridor Anchor Partnership and serves on the Executive Committee of the Minnesota Private College Council.
Pribbenow received the William Burke Award for Presidential Leadership in Experiential Education from the National Society for Experiential Education (NSSE) in 2012. He was named a McCormick Presidential Civic Leader Fellow for 2003-04 and for 2005-06. And, under his leadership, Augsburg College became the first higher education institution in Minnesota to earn the prestigious Presidential Award for Community Service, the highest honor possible for service work.
He has written numerous articles on philanthropy, ethics and not-for-profit management, and he publishes an email newsletter titled "Notes for the Reflective Practitioner."
Pribbenow lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Abigail Crampton Pribbenow, and their two children, Thomas and Maya.