Established in 2006 by the Board of Regents, this chair recognizes Kenneth O. Bjork who taught history at St. Olaf from 1937 until 1974 and who served as editor for the Norwegian American Historical Society (NAHA) from 1960 to 1980. Dr. Bjork is the author of Saga in Steel and Concrete; Norwegian Engineers in America and West of the Great Divide: Norwegian Migration to the Pacific Coast, 1847-1893. Dr. Bjork is one of several long-time servants of the College whom the Board has chosen to recognize for distinguished teaching, professional work, and service to the college and community. The first holder of the Kenneth O. Bjork Distinguished Professor Chair was Martha Wallace, Department of Mathematics, followed by Gary Stansell, Department of Religion; Charles Wilson, Department of Religion; James May, Department of Classics; Corliss Swain, Department of Philosophy; Paul Roback, Professor of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science; and Thomas Williamson, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology.
Current Chair: Elizabeth Leer, Professor of Education
After earning her bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Elizabeth Leer spent six years teaching English and German to middle- and high-schoolers and coaching track and cross-country. Her experience as a public school teacher led to her research interest in how to infuse multicultural education (especially multicultural literature) effectively into largely homogeneous environments.
She earned her M.A. in English literature at Northern Illinois University and completed doctoral work in English education at the University of Minnesota. She taught for two years in the Education Department at the University of Minnesota Duluth before settling in Northfield with her husband and three sons.
At St. Olaf she has taught Principles of Education, communication arts and literature methods courses, and the January Term courses Perspectives on Teaching and Multicultural Education in Hawaii.