The end of the 2017-2018 academic year is bittersweet for Associate Professor of Education Steve Dunn, Ed.D., who is retiring after 16 years at Newman.
After finishing his doctorate in 1978, Dunn began teaching at Bowling Green State University before moving to Utah State University.
Soon after, he ventured into a personal consulting career for 10 years before coming to Newman in 2002.
Dunn loved being in Utah, but after interviewing and meeting some of the faculty and staff and the ASC (Adorers of the Blood of Christ) sisters on campus, Dunn knew he made a smart choice.
“The sisters’ mission and their work are so inspiring to me,” explained Dunn. “They find a need and then meet the need.”
Dunn said Newman has brought much joy to his life.
“The first Building Leadership class I taught reinforced that I made the right decision to come to Newman. Seeing students go through the program and being successful is so rewarding,” commented Dunn.
Throughout his 16 years at Newman, Dunn has seen many changes on campus. Some of his favorite times have been going to High Tea, the Renaissance Fair, seeing the new buildings pop up on campus and interacting with the students, faculty, and the sisters. One of his proudest moments, he said, was when “Newman got national accreditation while I was leading.”
Leaving behind this community will not be easy, he said. The students and faculty who have become like family are who Dunn said he will miss the most from Newman.
“They let me into their lives and I let them into my life, too,” said Dunn recalling his relationships around campus.
Although Dunn will not be at Newman daily any longer, he will still be around. Dunn participates in a men’s singing group, which practices and performs at Newman. He also plans on teaching workshops on campus.
Dunn’s transition into retirement will include traveling to Kuwait to visit his son and daughter-in-law, where he will meet his new granddaughter for the first time and taking a six-week trip to Spain where he will take a 500-mile pilgrimage, hiking Camino de Santiago, by foot.
After returning to Wichita, where he plans to stay for a few years, he will begin tackling projects around his house as well as doing some consulting work with teachers in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Dunn hopes to someday move back to Utah and be able to do even more traveling.
Dunn’s presence and passion for fellow Newman faculty, staff and students will be missed around campus.
