Northland College Principal Marvin Suomi resigns; Solibakke named his replacement | Daily briefing
Marvin Suomi has resigned from his position as president of Northland College to focus on health issues. The Board of Directors announced that Dr. Karl Solibakke, formerly Chief Operating Officer, has been named Northland’s 15th President.
“The board wholeheartedly supports Marvin’s decision to devote his full attention to his health,” said Chad Dayton, Northland’s chairman of the board. “We wish Marvin the best of luck in his next endeavors and thank him for his service to Northland.”
Finland managed the college for 18 months, focusing on securing its long-term viability.
“It has been a clear personal and professional pleasure to be part of the Northland community for the past year and a half,” Suomi said. “Although my tenure will be shorter than I had hoped, I am thrilled to have Karl succeed me and look forward to Northland’s success in the years to come.”
Finland recruited Solibake to Northland College in October 2018 due to his extensive higher education and financial experience. Before joining Northland, Solibakke served as executive vice president at Ripon College in Ripon, Wis.
“Over the past year, Karl has proven himself to be an excellent addition to the Northland community,” Dayton said. “He has a strong understanding of the challenges – and opportunities – before us and an amazing work ethic.”
Solibakke grew up in Annapolis, Md., and received a magna cum laude degree from the University of Maryland. He earned a master’s degree in German literature and culture with minors in linguistics and continental philosophy from Heinrich-Heine-Universität.
In 2004, Solibakke was awarded a doctorate summa cum laude in German culture and literature, philosophy and linguistics. He has authored or edited 18 books and written nearly 50 articles on various topics. Solibakke is an internationally recognized Germanist and cultural memory researcher.
In addition to Ripon, he served as executive vice president at Holy Names University in Oakland, California, and associate dean for finance and long-range planning at Syracuse University in New York.
“It is an extraordinary privilege to be involved in leading this institution,” Solibakke said. “My year on campus has given me the opportunity to work with remarkable faculty and staff and meet a group of students—learners, creators, explorers, makers—who have a vision for themselves and the world around them.”
Solibakke noted two recent achievements that point to a promising future.
• The university’s freshman class of 2019 was among the largest in neighborhood school history, as Northland curbed study trends among its peers: Average net deposits at Midwest colleges decreased by more than seven percent from the previous year, but Northland’s net deposits increased by twenty percent.
• The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education recently named Northland No. 1 in sustainability curriculum for sustainability courses, programs and learning outcomes, as well as living lab projects, immersive experiences, sustainability literacy and staff development.
“We have tremendous potential in this community, and there are signs everywhere that it’s coming to fruition,” Solibakke said.