President Joel Shrock: Gilded Age to Green Day

Strongly Rooted & Still Growing

When I arrived in 2022 as the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, I was extremely excited to join the Graceland community. I found that my own belief system aligned extremely well with the values and mission of the university. During my tenure as VPAA, we launched Transformational Leadership, Graceland’s innovative approach to making general education hyper-relevant for our students, who — along with their parents — are understandably focused on ensuring the investment they make in their education will carry them into a strong career.

My career in higher education has taken me from the classroom into administration, leading me to be named as Graceland’s 19th President in September of 2024. I have been working toward a post like this for my entire career, and it is an honor the Board of Trustees has faith in me to continue to further Graceland’s mission of creating learning communities where students develop their potential for meaningful and productive lives.

Graceland’s mission is an important one because it calls upon our students not to just go and get jobs and make money, but to make a meaningful impact on their communities. I see our students leaning into these efforts every day in the classroom. I’ve met countless alumni who are creating positive change in their places of work, their houses of worship, and in their neighborhoods.

Higher education is facing a difficult road ahead, but as a historian, I can tell you that the industry has seen disruption and change before. I know that Graceland has, too. I believe that we have the tools and the abilities to thrive even amidst the challenging headwinds we are facing. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as President and I look forward to continuing to build our future together.

Joel Shrock, PhD
President

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