TERRI CURRY
VP FOR STUDENT LIFE/ENROLLMENT
Terri Curry currently serves as the Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment. She oversees all areas related to student life, admissions, financial planning, and athletics as well as our two outsourced areas of student health and food service.
Terri’s career at Morningside has spanned over 37 years in numerous capacities. She and her husband live in Elk Point, SD, and have three adult children.
ERIN EDLUND
CHIEF OF STAFF & VP FOR UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT
Dr. Erin Edlund serves as the Vice President for University Engagement at Morningside. She oversees the areas of alumni engagement, career services, marketing, communication, web content, social media, sports information, print shop, and mail room.
Before arriving at Morningside in 2018, Edlund served for 13 years in the Minnesota State system, the third largest higher education system in the country with 33 state colleges and universities and serving around 300,000 students.
From 2016 to 2018, Edlund served as director of marketing for the Minnesota State system office. In this role Edlund oversaw the implementation of the new Minnesota State brand, launched several systemwide marketing campaigns designed to support the marketing work of the teams at the state colleges and universities, and developed two comprehensive social media campaigns around Minnesota State’s legislative requests that contributed to some of the most significant capital funding received in the history of the system at that time.
Prior to being promoted to the system office, Edlund spent 11 years working for Dakota County Technical College, a member of the Minnesota State system located in Rosemount, Minn. She began as a communications coordinator serving both the credit and noncredit divisions of the college, then was promoted to director of marketing, and was then named director of institutional advancement overseeing all external-facing areas of the college including marketing, government relations, foundation, and alumni.
In 2013, Edlund was invited to continue her responsibilities at DCTC while also serving as the director of marketing at Inver Hills Community College. In this role, Edlund oversaw the alignment of two separated departments becoming one to serve both brands. As a result of this work, she was appointed as a half-time employee for 18 months to the Minnesota State Charting the Future Core Team in 2014, providing marketing guidance for the system’s strategic planning initiative and to help oversee the successful execution of more than 70 campus events across Minnesota designed to engage students, faculty, staff, and the community in the planning process.
Edlund currently serves as president of the Sergeant Bluff Community Foundation, chairs fundraising for the SB-L School Foundation, is a member of the board for Center for Siouxland, has been a leader for the Pioneer Valley Clover Kids, and served as the publicity chair for Sergeant Bluff’s RAGBRAI Kick-off in 2022.
Edlund was also previously elected to the board of directors for the National Council of Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). Working alongside incredibly talented teams, she has accrued 18 national marketing awards and more than 100 regional marketing awards for marketing, public relations, and digital work. In 2011, Edlund was named the NCMPR District 5 Communicator of the Year and went on to be named the national 2012 NCMPR Communicator of the Year.
A native of Burt, Iowa and a graduate of Algona High School in Algona, Iowa, Edlund also holds a bachelor’s degree from Drake University in Des Moines, IA, a master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.; and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She and her husband, Jeff, reside in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, with their three children, Evelyn, Wyatt, and Lolo Grace; her father-in-law, Ron; two labs, Norman and Reagan; and their rescue cat, Priscilla.
PAUL ERBES
VP INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Paul Erbes serves Morningside University as Vice President for Institutional Advancement with responsibilities for overseeing all fundraising efforts, conducting research for future fundraising needs, and leading the advancement unit. He also serves MU as a member of the administrative cabinet.
Erbes came to Morningside in 2023 following a five-year stint as the vice president for development at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. While there, Erbes led a $28 million campaign, an $8 million building program, and helped grow the endowment from $24 million to $38 million in five years. He previously worked as a major gifts officer at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, chief development officer for Bello Machre, regional manager for Thrivent Financial, and he spent 25 years as a Lutheran pastor in Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.
In addition to his professional background, Erbes has been a team leader for Habitat for Humanity and the Fuller Center for Housing on more than 25 international building projects in 16 countries. He has also taught workshops and served as a mentor to newcomers to professional philanthropy, served as president for Habitat for Humanity of Dubuque and Jackson counties, and served as a leader and member of several other boards.
Erbes is a Minnesota native who was named to the Tracy High School Hall of Fame in Tracy, Minn. He loves reading, movies, and sports – particularly Baltimore Orioles baseball – and has completed 15 marathons.
MARK LUMSDEN
VP OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
Prior to Morningside, Lumsden served as CIO at Briar Cliff University, the Florida Institute of Technology, and Buena Vista University. He worked as an operations manager at Iowa Communications Network, a project manager for the State of Iowa; and was CIO for the City of West Des Moines. Lumsden has also been recognized for his work presenting on learning and has extensive experience building collaborative working environments and implementing continuous improvement strategies.
Lumsden earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in telecommunications from Iowa Central Community College, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Buena Vista University, and a Master of Business Administration from Drake University.
CHRISTOPHER SPICER
PROVOST & VP FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Chris Spicer serves as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. He oversees all academic programs and faculty, as well as the offices of the Registrar, Instructional Technology, and the Learning Center.
Chris is a tenured Full Professor in the Mathematics Department. His mathematical interests lie in the fields of algebra, graph theory, and combinatorics.
He has written several articles related to math in popular culture. His Erdős number is 2. Chris earned his Bachelor’s degree from Mount Mercy University (formerly college) and his PhD from North Dakota State University.
PAUL TREFT
VP FOR BUSINESS & FINANCE
Paul Treft serves as the Vice President for Business and Finance. He oversees the Business Office, Human Resources, Facilities, the MSide Store and Safety and Security.
Paul began his career at Morningside in 2000 as the Associate Vice President for Business Services & Controller. Prior to joining Morningside he held positions at Metz Baking Company and IBP inc.
Treft earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Morningside College and his Master of Business Administration from Wayne State College.
