Rasmussen College Welcomes Dr. Ann Leja as New Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (June 25, 2015)–Rasmussen College, a regionally accredited private college and Public Benefit Corporation, recently welcomed Dr. Ann Leja as its new Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer. In these roles, Leja will oversee all academic affairs and activities at Rasmussen College, including support and assessment, programmatic quality and rigor, expansion of competency-based education and other learning models and methods, as well as faculty engagement. Leja brings with her more than 25 years of higher education experience with 15 years in academic leadership roles at both private and public colleges and universities.

“We are excited and fortunate to have Dr. Ann Leja join the academic team here at Rasmussen College,” said Dr. Trenda Boyum-Breen, president at Rasmussen College. “Her strong academic experience, leadership and understanding of today’s higher education landscape make her a great fit for the College. I’m confident she will take the innovative steps the College has already made to improve student outcomes to the next level and will continue to look for ways to provide the best and highest-quality learning experience possible for our students.”

Prior to joining Rasmussen College, Dr. Leja served as the Dean of the College of Health, Community and Professional Studies at Metropolitan State University. Prior to that role, she served as Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as well as Director of Undergraduate and Pre-Licensure Programs for the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Metropolitan State. During her time there, Dr. Leja was responsible for providing academic and administrative leadership and making administrative recommendations for faculty tenure and promotion at both Colleges. She was also instrumental in building an infrastructure to support the transition of the nursing department to a School of Nursing. That included developing a new reporting structure and creating roles for nursing and dental hygiene faculty.

“I am thrilled to join and work with such a high caliber of higher education professionals,” said Dr. Leja. “In today’s ever-changing higher education landscape, it’s critical we continue to find accessible and affordable ways to make our students career-ready as well as offer high-quality degree programs and faculty that help meet the workforce demands in our campus communities. Rasmussen College is a proven leader in higher education, and I’m excited to help the College continue to change lives for years to come.”

Dr. Leja holds a Doctorate of Nursing Practice and Master of Arts in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Health from The College of St. Scholastica, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She replaces Dr. Boyum-Breen, who assumed presidency of the College in March 2015.