Thomas Kunkel (born September 24, 1955) is an author, journalist, educator and president emeritus of
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the c ...
in De Pere, Wisconsin.
Career
Kunkel earned his B.A. in political science at the
University of Evansville
The University of Evansville (UE) is a private university in Evansville, Indiana. It was founded in 1854 as Moores Hill College. The university operates a satellite center, Harlaxton College, in Grantham, England.
UE offers more than 80 differ ...
in 1977 and his master's degree in humanities from there in 1979. He spent much of his early career in the newspaper industry, working in editorial and managerial roles for newspapers, including the ''
San Jose Mercury News
''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidiar ...
'', the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'', ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', and ''
The Cincinnati Post
''The Cincinnati Post'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In Northern Kentucky, it was bundled inside a local edition called ''The Kentucky Post''. The ''Post'' was a founding publication and onetime ...
''.
From 1997 to 2000 he served as editor and director of the Project on the State of the American Newspaper. From 2000 to 2008, Kunkel was dean of the
Philip Merrill College of Journalism
The Philip Merrill College of Journalism is a journalism school located at the University of Maryland, College Park. The college was founded in 1947 and was named after newspaper editor Philip Merrill in 2001. The school has about 550 undergra ...
and president of the ''
American Journalism Review
The ''American Journalism Review'' (''AJR'') was an American magazine covering topics in journalism. It was launched in 1977 as the ''Washington Journalism Review'' by journalist Roger Kranz. It ceased publication in 2015.
History and profile
Th ...
'' at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
.
In 2008, Kunkel became the seventh president of
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the c ...
. He retired from the college in 2017. Kunkel was named CEO of the Year by unanimous vote in the 2015
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement. This field encompasses alumni relations, communications, marketing ...
District V Chief Executive Leadership Award program. The association represents 383 Midwestern colleges and universities.
Kunkel has authored or edited seven books. His most recent, ''Man on Fire: The Life and Spirit of Norbert of Xanten'', published in May 2019 by St. Norbert College Press in association with the Center for Norbertine Studies, was named 2020 Best Book by a Small Publisher in the Catholic Book Awards. His 2015 book, ''Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker'', won the prestigious Sperber Prize from Fordham University for the best media biography of the year.
St. Norbert College
In his inaugural speech, Kunkel spoke of maintaining the core values of the Catholic, liberal arts college: reflection, service to others, and a sense of community.
In his nine-year tenure, he oversaw new developments at the college, including the introduction of the Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Liberal Studies graduate programs; the launch of the Donald J. Schneider School of Business & Economics; a partnership with the
Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is a private medical school, pharmacy school, and graduate school of sciences headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school was established in 1893 and is the largest research center in eastern Wisconsin ...
; the implementation of a new core curriculum; and the establishment of a biennial academic conference titled “Sport and Society in America” that is co-sponsored by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
.
He raised more than $150 million, resulting in the construction of a new science facility, enhancement of existing campus facilities, an increase in the school’s endowment, additional support to faculty and student programs, and increased financial aid for students.
During Kunkel’s tenure, the college constructed and renovated facilities, including the Gehl-Mulva Science Center, Michels Commons, Schneider Stadium, the Mulva Library, Gries Hall, the Ariens Family Welcome Center, Todd Wehr Hall and the Cassandra Voss Center.
Kunkel retired in the summer of 2017.
He subsequently completed a biography of the college's founding saint,
Norbert of Xanten
Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was can ...
(1075-1134). ''Man on Fire: The Life & Spirit of Norbert of Xanten'' was published in 2019.
Works
* ''Genius in Disguise: Harold Ross of The New Yorker'' (1995)
* ''Enormous Prayers: A Journey Into the Priesthood'' (1998)
* ''Letters From the Editor'' (Editor, 2000)
* ''Leaving Readers Behind: The Age of Corporate Newspapering'' (Editor, with Gene Roberts and Charles Layton, 2001)
* ''Breach of Trust: A Crisis of Coverage in the Age of Corporate Newspapering'' (Editor, with Gene Roberts, 2002)
* ''Man in Profile: Joseph Mitchell of The New Yorker'' (2015)
* ''Man on Fire: The Life and Spirit of Norbert of Xanten'' (2019)
References
External links
*
Book reviews
New York Times Review of Books
LA Review of Books
New YorkerColumbia Journalism Review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunkel, Thomas
American male writers
1955 births
Living people
Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
St. Norbert College