Storm Lake, Iowa — On Monday, October 26th, Brian Lenzmeier was introduced as the 19th president of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake.
(as said) “Although we are in the midst of a pandemic and a very challenging time for small private colleges, I am fortunate to be leading a school with such a history of resilience and innovation,” he said, “and an institution that’s on strong financial footing.”
The school’s previous president resigned abruptly in May for unspecified reasons. Lenzmeier started at BVU in 2003 as a biology professor and then became the school’s provost, but says he never envisioned becoming president of the school until he took over as interim president in May.
(as said) “I have really enjoyed the challenges that I face every day,” he says. “I come to work. My brain is stimulated. I like working with people.”
Lenzmeier says getting the chance to greet every student on Convocation Day in August is what really sold him on wanting the job permanently.
(as said) “We have a growing diversity within our student body and I’d like us to diversify our faculty and staff,” Lenzmeier says. “to make sure that we are meeting the needs of students from diverse backgrounds.”
The school was founded by the Presbyterian Church in 1891. The campus sits along the shore of Storm Lake. BVU’s website indicates nearly 19-hundred students are enrolled this fall.
