Academic Success Begins with Discipleship | Dr. Dalene Fisher

Get to know UNW’s new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Dalene Fisher. At the center of her vision is the belief that academic success starts with discipleship.

Dr. Fisher oversees the university’s academic mission, ensuring that everything from policies to classroom practices reflects UNW’s commitment to Christ-centered education. She believes professors are called not only to teach but to model faithful living, creating a culture where discipleship and mentorship shape every student’s experience.

Her vision for UNW is that students get to experience what it looks like to be a faithful, vibrant follower of Christ—and that they would take that into their careers and callings after graduation.

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💬 Know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of UNW doing amazing things out in the world? Let us know at alumni@unwsp.edu. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:02

Join as we highlight the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern. This is the Unwavering Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Hey, it's Monty and Cassie. And welcome to another pulse episode of the Unwavering Podcast. And today we get a chance to talk with Daleen Fisher. So very excited for this conversation.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Let's dive right in.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

Hey everybody, we have Dr. Daleen Fisher in the studio with us today. This is going to be a wonderful conversation. And Dr. Fisher joined the Northwestern family in July of 2025, and she serves as the provost and vice president for academic affairs here at Northwestern. She got her undergrad degree at Oklahoma Wesleyan University before getting her master's at Union Institute and University and her doctorate at the University of Kent in Canterbury. She comes to Northwestern with two decades of educational experience in pedagogy, curriculum development, and academic leadership, and they have prepared her for a role. And we are blessed to have her here at Northwestern. So, Daileen, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Thank you so much. It's great to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Well, we need to start with something really important. What is your coffee drink of choice and why?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

The most important question of the day, I think. Well, you know that I had a coffee shop back in the day. My husband and I had a coffee shop and we've had this conversation. I think it depends. That's a complicated question. That's like asking what your favorite child is, I think. So it depends on the situation. But I would say my go-to would just be a straight latte. Straight up. But you know, on an important day, maybe some honey. On a really maybe a sad day or a cold day, maple honey latte. Ooh. Not a black coffee drinker, myself.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

What are you going to order today?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Let's see.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

It's like a moon ring. It's like a let's just say this straight latte. Okay. And you go iced or hot? Hot. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

All right. Today's a hot latte day. Well, we're really glad that we got you on a hot latte day. This is going to be a great conversation. So uh well, in this season of transition and new leadership for you here at Northwestern, what has the Lord been teaching you personally?

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Northwestern is similar to a lot of the leadership roles I've had in the past in terms of the my approach. And God just continues to teach me over and over again, I think, the same thing he's been teaching me my entire life, which is just to continue to bring him what I have and to let him make much of it. So I've been having some conversations with different people since I've been here and considering the ways that the Lord takes the bread and he takes the fish, or he takes the widow's mite, he turns the water into wine. So he's in the business of multiplying our efforts, but still bringing him what I can, even when on most days it feels like I don't even I don't have enough for what this day calls for, but God makes it what it needs to be. So that's been a theme that's been a big part of my life over and over again. And it's just been amplified here at Northwestern that just bring him what I have and let him make much of what it is, even though it's never what it needs to be, I don't think. That's a good reminder. But he makes it what it needs to be. That's wonderful. He does.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah, he asks for faithfulness.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

Right.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

And that's our that's our job, and he controls the rest.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

Right. That is the lesson. That's that he's working through us um no matter what. So that's not new, but I would say it's become greater because there's a there's a large need in this in this role and and um the good that's happening here at the university.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

It's not new, but it feels fresh.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

It's fresh.

unknown 3:55

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 3:56

Right. Well, let's talk about that. So you got here in July. You started your role in July. What's your impression of Northwestern so far?

SPEAKER_00 4:03

Wow, the people here are incredible. I came from Oklahoma, and so I was a little bit more part of, I don't know, we don't know if we're part of the South or if we're Midwest or if we're Southern. We're just we sort of don't have an identity in terms of being Midwesterners, I don't think. But um just the people here have been so incredibly welcoming. The work ethic is awesome, but what I've noticed is it's not just about work here, it's about the heart behind the work. So the people of Northwestern and this community has just been incredibly open. They've had opened hands, open hearts. They've given me there, they haven't been hoarding the knowledge that I need to do this job well. Everybody has been very willing to step in and give me all the tools I need to do this job to the best of my ability with the Lord's help. So, Northwestern, in terms of its history, it's so impressive to look back and consider where this university began and the way the Lord has remained faithful through generations upon generations. So it's been really fun to be part of this growing community across the nation, having come from another university. And I know the work that we did there and to see that duplicated in another part of the country, it's really, it's really beautiful. It's part of the body of Christ. And to see that done so faithfully in this place is an extreme blessing. So very impressed, not just again with the work ethic, which I think is very obvious, but the heart posture that's driving that work ethic is really impressive to me. The deep love for the students and the deep desire for the students here to go out into the world and impact our world for Christ is incredible.

SPEAKER_03 5:54

Well, that's encouraging to hear. Um, as somebody who's been part of the Northwestern community for a long time, know all those things, but it's so good to hear from somebody who's just starting here that those things are so evident. So thank you. So evident.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yes, you guys are doing great.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

That's awesome. Well, and you're part of it. So thank you. Um, so is anything different here than you expected? Maybe in a good way.

SPEAKER_00 6:13

It really is truly all good. And I hate to spend too much time on this because our life is about so much more than the work. There's a heart behind it. But I have just been so impressed by the commitment that people in this community have to the calling that God has placed on their lives in this space. I think there's a grittiness that must come with these long cold winters that happens with um Minnesotans. And it's uh there's a cheerfulness, there's a coziness. Um, so I've been very impressed by just the spirit with which people interact on a day-to-day basis and how people live their lives. I've been very impressed with the faculty specifically and their deep understanding, their scholarship, the way that they're committed to exceptional pedagogy, the way that they're interacting with students, their long-term commitment to the university is extremely impressive. So I've been just loving getting to know them as a body and leaning into what it looks like to lead in that space alongside our incredible faculty members. So it's just very consistent across the board, regardless of who I'm speaking to, there's a passion, there's a commitment. And it's not just a commitment to Northwestern, and it's not just a commitment to the students, but it's a commitment to Northwestern and the students on behalf of Christ as disciple makers in this space. So that hasn't been something that I felt like I had to like bring out. It's just already there. It's just more of a reminder of, hey, this is who we are and this is what we're doing, and and you guys are part of a larger body of believers committed to training this next generation in this same space. So it's in a good way refreshing to just be able to come alongside that.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

That's good. I I think if you had to put something on the the pulse of something that makes Northwestern unique or stand out or is just true to the core, I think is what you were just getting at. That there is this strong missional drive in not just doing your job, but like you have this deep care for the students and their not just their like well-being for now and in their career, but eternally and and with their families. And it's it's in the extra effort that faculty give, that staff give, that coaches give. And we've had the privilege of hearing that on this podcast from from a bunch of people now, just their heart for what they do. So I'm so glad that you're picking that up in your first year.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, very evident.

SPEAKER_01 8:49

You also got a chance to be in your first ever commencement ceremony, right? At Northwestern?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

First at Northwestern, yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

So how was it? How was your first ceremony or first commencement at Northwestern?

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Well, it was wonderful. And actually, I just met with our registrar this morning to talk about the upcoming commencement. And there's always a wonderful celebration. It's the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new chapter. So just getting to see the faces and when you're sitting on the stage, you get to look out on the whole audience and you see the way that students are so proud, and now they're graduates and they're becoming alumni, and just to see the excitement on their faces is lovely and wonderful. It's sacred, but it's also a celebration to get to that point of turning. So it was it was wonderful. I loved being a part of it, just to step right into that. And again, just being part of this body and this community as we're training that next generation and seeing them move out into the world. It's wonderful to hear from our speakers. And I know that there's been a long line of great commencement speakers and getting to see the excitement of our president and how he's interacting, and so thrilled to just launch all these students and graduates into our community to continue the work of the Great Commission. It was very evident that that's what Northwestern is about, and just to get to be a part of that tradition and feel like even though I'm new to that space, that I belonged there. I don't think that that was really about me, but it is more about the spirit that Northwestern embraces of you're new to this community, you don't have to feel like you don't belong. You're gonna feel like you're part of this space, even if it's week one, month one, year one. Um, I have felt like this is home from the very beginning. And I think that speaks to the posture, and that came through in the commencement ceremony as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Aaron Powell And you play an important role of what happens here on campus. So for listeners who may not know, what does a provost and a VP of academic affairs actually do? In other words, what is it you do here?

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Aaron Powell What is my job? Yeah. Well, I would say this is a hard, this is a little bit harder to answer than one might think. But I think the short answer is that I oversee the academic enterprise specifically of the university. And from my seat, I prefer to invest in other leaders across the university. So investing time with the deans, investing time with the vice provosts, our associate VPs in the academic space, and making sure that our policies and our procedures and our protocols are in line with our mission as an institution. So thinking a lot about the strategic vision of the university, who do we want to be not just next week, not just next year, but in five years, in ten years? And are we setting up policies and programs? Does our academic profile continue to fulfill the mission of the university as has been established very early on, the mission that our board holds us to? So day in, day out, this what does this look like on a practical level? It's a lot of meeting with people who are carrying out the operational aspects of what we do as a university. We go through all the same processes that lots of other organizations would go through. You go through seasons of budget work, you go plan go through planning for the next year, the next semester, hiring, those sorts of things. So again, my hope and goal would be that our staff, our fa our academic staff, our faculty, our students, every person who has a leadership role at this university at all in any capacity knows exactly why they're here and what they're here to do. So my job is to make sure that that happens in multiple spaces across the entire academic enterprise. And I have the privilege of working alongside also an amazing cabinet under our president's leadership and just working with them to, again, consider next steps and looking out a little bit broader into the future. Where are we going? Are we continuing to remember our why? What's the vision and mission? And so I'm in a lot of conversations that keep us pointing in that direction.

SPEAKER_01 13:00

So you're you're doing a lot of mission guarding, you're building frameworks that are really practical to the day-to-day operations. But what you were just getting at right there is you're doing a lot of vision casting as well about where are we going and why do we do what we do. So what is your vision for for academic affairs or or what is the vision that you're reminding people of?

SPEAKER_00 13:19

Well, this has been a vision that has been part of my personal mission in education since I began many, many years ago. And it comes down to what is the point of education? Why are students at Northwestern? Why do students get a college degree anywhere? And what is the point of this time period between, say, the ages of 16 for our DE and early college learners through 25, maybe into adult and grad. And that all has to do with discipleship, has to do with being under the authority and leadership of somebody who can teach you knowledge, but also give you some direction and how to live your life. So as leaders, we need to make sure that we are following Christ faithfully, carefully, being having our eyes and hearts turned toward him, keeping in the word. So my vision for the academic side of the house is that we would just continue to reinforce that in order to send leaders out through Northwestern, which I know is part of our central mission, that begins with discipleship, having a mentor to look to. And that would specifically be in a classroom so that the content that's coming out of that classroom, the pedagogy that's being used, in other words, the way that content is being delivered and not just the content itself, but the person delivering that content also becomes an example. So my vision for Northwestern would be and acad on the academic side specifically, would be that students get to experience what it looks like to be a faithful, vibrant follower of Christ and that they would be able to take that into their careers and their callings when they leave here.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

That's good. And that connects to the big picture of what we're here to do, but equipping Christ centered leaders in the home church community and world. And yet you're speaking right at the heart of that in that academic experience. It's really evident that you're you're really passionate about speaking into the people that you have a chance to lead in your role, the staff, the faculty. But it's also obvious that you are passionate about students and their experience. So where does that come from and why does it matter so much to you?

SPEAKER_00 15:30

A few years ago, I think this became very evident to me in a church service that I was in. There was a pastor who had voluntarily left his spot early. And the reason he did that is he was passing the baton. He was preparing the next generation. So often it's easy for us to, as we get older and we get further along in our careers, we want to keep all that influence and we want to keep all that leadership to ourselves. But that's not really what we're called to do. We're called to prepare the next generation, to invest in the next generation. So I'm personally passionate about students because they're the hope of the future. They're the ones who are going to be the multipliers of the Great Commission. When I think about my calling and all of our calling as Christ followers to fulfill the Great Commission, to me, the best way to do that is to invest in the next generation. And that does sometimes mean giving things up and investing in the next generation of leaders. And right now I have some young grandchildren. So I think now about the students who are going through like these are the people that are going to be leading my grandchildren's generation. So I want to make sure that I'm pouring it all out before the end, right? Like that we're giving uh all of the knowledge, all of the wisdom that we possibly can because we care not just about ourselves and where we're at, not just the next year or the next decade, but things that are gonna be happening when we're gone.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Oh, come on. That's you're speaking multiplying language now that is able to reach beyond what we can do. But also these young men and women at Northwestern are so capable.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Like you get to know them and they're passionate and they have incredible skill and passion and wisdom, and giving them a chance to step in is incredible. Oh, I really appreciate your heart in that. Thanks for sharing.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Very happy to.

SPEAKER_03 17:24

Well, and so you're amplifying, if you will, and that's that's uh one of our our new taglines. And along with unwavering. So we are here to be unwavering at Northwestern. What does that mean to you personally?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

I love the unwavering language that we're using here, and I know that it's a very biblical word when we think about that our our God is unwavering. For me, I've thought about that many, many times in my life, but without that specific language. For a long time, I've thought of God as my constancy. And that's not a word that you use we use very much or that we hear very much. But when you think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that they are unchanging. They've been since the beginning of time. We change. We we grow, we mature, we go through different seasons. You can look back on your life maybe 10 years ago, a decade ago, and who was that person? And what was that person thinking? But something that never has changed in my life, regardless of the different seasons that I've been in, the different places that I've lived, the different jobs that I've had is the Lord. He's been constant. He's never changed, his word to me has never changed, his call on my life has never changed. He's constant. So then I think unwavering means like that's my answer to that constancy. So, how do I show up in that place of God is the same. So, how do I bring that into my life? It's by attaching myself to his unwavering love, his unwavering spirit, his unwavering character, and all the attributes of God that have been the same since the beginning of time.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

Oh, come on. Amen. That's so good. Thank you for that word. And thank you for joining us on the podcast. And thanks for being at Northwestern. You truly, your heartbeat for the students and for the staff, and your mission to have a Christ-centered and an internal impact is gonna fit in here quite nicely. So thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 19:21

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_04 19:22

Holding on to your promises, holding on to your favorites.

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Thank you for listening. To hear more, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen. And if you know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of Northwestern doing amazing things out in the world, let us know at alumni at unwsp.edu. The unwavering podcast, highlighting the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.

SPEAKER_04 19:50

Your love is on.