Dan Kittle

Dan Kittle

Daniel Kittle, Wartburg’s vice president of student life and dean of students, will become the 21st president of Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D., in March 2022.

The DWU Board of Trustees announced his appointment today during an all-campus meeting. Kittle, who has been at Wartburg for 16 years, started in academic affairs with administrative responsibility for faculty development and community engagement. He was named the director of the Center for Community Engagement in 2008 and appointed the assistant to the president for strategic initiatives in 2012. He has served in his current role since 2015.

“I came to Wartburg thinking about how I could contribute to the students and community, but I leave with a great appreciation for how the college community has shaped and enriched my life,” Kittle said. “It has been a place where I’ve not only been grateful to help others discover and claim their vocations, but it has been a place where I’ve been able to discover and claim my own.”

In addition to his administrative roles, Kittle has continued to be active in the classroom, teaching a first-year seminar each fall. While helping the college navigate the challenges of COVID-19, he also co-led a strategic planning effort focused on enrollment growth, improving retention, and curricular innovation.

“For 16 years, Dr. Dan Kittle, vice president of student life and dean of students, has given heart and soul to Wartburg College and the students we serve. From his early years coordinating service-learning and directing the Center for Community Engagement to his more recent role as vice president for student life, Dan has focused his energy on enriching student engagement, and we owe deep gratitude for the passion with which he’s approached his work, the support that he’s offered so many of us who work alongside him, and the many successes he’s helped our students achieve,” said Wartburg President Darrel Colson. “Thankful for Dan’s service and leadership here, I congratulate Dakota Wesleyan University for a wise decision.”

DWU, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, enrolls about 950 students annually in associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and employs about 130 faculty and staff.

Kittle earned his bachelor’s degree in public relations and political science from Heidelberg University and his master’s in political science and doctorate in higher, adult, learning and education from Michigan State University. In 2009, he completed the Foundations of Christian Leadership program through Duke University.

“It has been a privilege to serve Wartburg College, a place that will always be special to me and my family. I leave with so much gratitude and appreciation for all of the people and experiences that have touched my life,” Kittle said.