Augustana College president: ‘Ready for next challenge’

Augustana College’s new president received an official welcome to the community and college – and heard some stories of her summer camp days – during a celebration on the Rock Island campus Saturday afternoon, Oct. 15. An inauguration ceremony was held for Andrea Talentino – Augie’s ninth president who has been on the job since […]

Augustana College’s new president received an official welcome to the community and college – and heard some stories of her summer camp days – during a celebration on the Rock Island campus Saturday afternoon, Oct. 15. An inauguration ceremony was held for Andrea Talentino – Augie’s ninth president who has been on the job since July – in front of several hundred people on the college’s quad during Homecoming Week.

“She is the one. She is the right person at the right time,” said Wiley Adams, a member of the college’s board of trustees, in welcoming the new president. Mr. Adams was one of several speakers who offered words of praise to Ms. Talentino during a sunny, cool and often windy day. (“If I blow away, you don’t have to stay,” the college president joked with the crowd during the ceremony.) Other comments during the ceremony included:

• “You have found a place of kindred spirits.” – Mariano Magalhaes, professor of political science at Augustana.
• Ms. Talentino will help the college “move from a bright past to a bold tomorrow.” – John Murabito, college board chairman.
• Ms. Talentino is now part of the Augustana family. – Mr. Wiley.
• “She is a calm, able person. … She is ready for the next challenge.” –  Bill Dorfman, family friend and former director of a summer camp she attended.

Saturday’s ceremony also included stories of those summer camp days at Camp Walt Whitman in New Hampshire.  The former director of the camp, Mr. Dorfman was the featured speaker at the ceremony. During a July interview with the QCBJ, the new college president said Mr. Dorfman and his late wife, Jancy, were important mentors in her life who had faith in her and helped foster her leadership skills.

On Saturday, the former director also praised Ms. Talentino for her leadership skills during those summer camp days from 1986 to 1994. But he also peppered his praise with a few stories that could be viewed as embarrassing. For instance, he told of the time she got her hair caught in an exhaust fan while taking a shower at the camp. Plus, he told of her “very big mistake” when she was supervising camp staffers who were carrying boats to a lake. Instead of helping with the boat move, she hid in an office, he said. Mr. Dorfman added that she learned some big lessons from that experience, such as leading by example. “So, don’t hide in the back office when Andrea is looking for you,” he said. Ms. Talentino’s inaugural address took a much more serious tone. She focused on some of the challenges facing the college. For instance, she said the value of higher education institutions is questioned by some people in a high-tech era where people can get information for free from online sources. Also, colleges and universities face many critics because of rising tuition fees. “These are not easy times for higher education. … The days ahead will not be easy,” she said. But she added that Augustana offers students a great advantage: It helps transform students into people who will help society. “Transformation is our greatest advantage,” she said. “The single most common story I have heard from people on campus and off is the story of transformation through Augustana,” Ms. Talentino also said in information provided by the college. “Students who came with limited expectations for themselves and went on to great things. Staff who  found a community that they never envisioned. Business leaders around the QC who brought in Augustana students as interns or workers and made lifelong connections.”

Augustana announced Dec. 7, 2021, the selection of Ms. Talentino to succeed Steven C. Bahls, who retired after nearly two decades of service. Ms. Talentino has spent the last several months connecting with the Rock Island campus and Quad-Cities community. She was drawn to Augustana for a shared vision of creating inclusive, holistic, challenging and integrated student experiences that lead to transformational opportunities. Prior to serving Augustana, Ms. Talentino was the provost of Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. She also served as the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Norwich University in Vermont. She was an associate dean at Drew University in New Jersey, held a faculty position at Tulane University and a postdoctoral position at Princeton University. Ms. Talentino earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Yale University, then completed a master’s and doctorate in political science from UCLA. While serving as dean at Norwich, she earned an MBA with a concentration in organizational leadership. Born in Binghamton, New York, Ms. Talentino grew up in nearby Cortland, New York. She is married to Thomas Tarnow, a public interest attorney, and they have two children: Lucien, 15, and Julia, 11.