Pacific Union Recorder

La Sierra University has selected Steve Pawluk, La Sierra education professor and department chair, to serve as the university’s provost. Pawluk began his new duties July 1. The provost serves as chief academic officer and chief operating officer for the university.

Pawluk chaired the department of administration and leadership in La Sierra's School of Education and served there as professor of administration and leadership. He replaces Provost Warren Trenchard who left the post to pursue other assignments at the university. Trenchard served as provost for six years. He is also a professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature in La Sierra's School of Religion.

Pawluk brings to the office 33 years of higher education, administrative, K-12 and church leadership experience, as well as a wealth of knowledge from a variety of past pursuits in reserve law enforcement, politics, welding, contracting and sales.

Pawluk arrived at La Sierra in June 2007, drawn to the opportunity by his appreciation for the mission and important biblical values promoted by La Sierra University, he said. A native of Southern California, Pawluk came from Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tenn., where he was the senior vice president for academic administration for five years. Previously, he served as an education professor and dean of the School of Education and Psychology at Walla Walla University. His past leadership roles include serving as superintendent of schools and youth director for the Montana Conference and as a church pastor in Montana and Washington.

During the past three years, Pawluk’s achievements in the School of Education include authoring his department’s Preliminary Credential (Tier 1 Administrator) and Professional Clear Credential (Tier 2 Administrator) accreditation reports for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, leading to full accreditation for each credential program. He also planned and facilitated recruiting activities in public school districts for master’s and doctoral education programs.

At Southern, Pawluk developed a shared vision by involving the faculty and various committees in the development of the Academic Master Plan 2006-2012 with annual measurable benchmarks. He instituted the School of Visual Art & Design Production Company, initialized and developed Southern’s Office of Graduate Studies and launched development of its Virtual Campus.

One of Pawluk’s first goals as La Sierra’s provost will be to work with faculty, administration and staff to develop a new strategic plan for the university, prioritizing specific action steps for innovative programs and new facilities.

“I’m excited about the opportunities that this position offers. I think La Sierra is doing many things well already. If my skill set can help the university continue to move forward, that would be great,” Pawluk said.

At La Sierra, Pawluk said he has found spiritual strength and support. “The presumption that the people I work with love Jesus and are loyal to the denomination allows us to speak freely in an attitude of trust. And in an attitude of trust, we can do important work,” he said.

Pawluk’s leadership style involves collaboration and support and is based on the belief that the majority of employees aim for success. “I think most people here believe in the university. My job is to provide the encouragement and the resources they need to do the jobs,” Pawluk said. “Part of leadership is to help people figure out how to use limited resources now and over time for maximum benefit.”

Pawluk holds a doctorate in education from Montana State University, a Master of Arts in religion from Loma Linda University and a Bachelor of Arts in theology from the La Sierra campus of Loma Linda University. His numerous awards include a leadership fellow appointment in 2004 by the Milton Murray Foundation for Philanthropy, a designation that allowed him to complete a summer institute at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.
 He also received a “Keep My Fires Burning: Storyteller” Pendleton wool blanket for his support of Native Americans in higher education, and the “Por apoyar la educación en Bolivia” citation for his work with the Universidad Adventista de Bolivia.

Pawluk’s wife, Carol, teaches music at Loma Linda Elementary. The couple’s son, Matt, is a research and development engineer in Temecula. Their daughter, Kate, recently graduated from Walla Walla University with a Bachelor of Arts in history and a minor in philosophy.