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W. Kent Barnds

W. Kent Barnds

Executive Vice President for External Relations

Augustana College

W. Kent Barnds is Executive Vice President for External Relations at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. He is a graduate of the oldest college associated with the ELCA; his mother graduated from both Luther Junior College and Augustana College and his sister graduated from Midland Lutheran College, now Midland University. Gen Z is the third generation he’s recruited to private higher education.

Published Articles

Article

Called to the Moment: A New Vocation for Lutheran Colleges

W. Kent Barnds

No. 52 · Fall 2020

After a derecho ravaged Iowa in August 2020 and Pastor Katy Warren preached on 1 Peter 4, Barnds watched line workers, neighbors, and Augustana colleagues simply show up where they were needed — and proposes that the true vocation of a Lutheran college may be making the case for “meeting immediate need with a deep willingness” alongside the longer work of vocational discernment.
Article

Gen Z is Made for Lutheran Higher Education

W. Kent Barnds

No. 51 · Spring 2020

Barnds argues that Generation Z’s defining traits — socially responsible, purpose-driven, cost-conscious, culturally open, and tech-expectant — align almost perfectly with the missions of NECU institutions, and offers concrete suggestions (from replacing “vocation” with “purpose” to embracing Gen X parents as co-pilots) for Lutheran colleges seeking to attract and serve this generation.

W. Kent Barnds

Published Articles

Called to the Moment: A New Vocation for Lutheran Colleges

Gen Z is Made for Lutheran Higher Education