Sister Catherine Dunn, BVM, is a former President of

Clarke College Clarke College may refer to: * Clarke College, the former name of Clarke University, in Dubuque, Iowa, U.S. * Clarke College, in 1992 merged into Mississippi College, in Clinton, Mississippi, U.S. * William Clarke College, in Sydney, New South Wale ...

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is a city in Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 59,667 at the 2020 United States census. The city lies along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a region ...

. She was named the 14th President of the school on January 27, 1984. She retired on June 30, 2006. Dunn earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. She then joined Clarke College as a member of the education faculty. She would remain in that post until 1979, when she became the school's Vice President of Institutional Advancement. Clarke College named Dunn the school's 14th President on January 27, 1984. One of the first major challenges that Dunn faced came on May 17, 1984, when a fire destroyed three of the historic buildings on campus. Dunn oversaw the reconstruction of the buildings, which was completed in 1986. The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education gave her its silver award in 1985, and its bronze award in 1986 for her leadership during and following the fire. Dunn has served on the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Iowa College Foundation (ICF), and the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (IAICU). In 1989 Dunn was also named to the Iowa Transportation Commission, and in 1994 was named the first female chair of the commission. Dunn also served on the boards of the Junior Achievement of the Tri-States, the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce, American Trust and Savings Bank, and the Tri-State Community Health Center. Dunn has also received numerous honors and awards during her career. The ''

Telegraph Herald The ''Telegraph Herald'', locally referred to as the ''TH'', is a daily newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa, for the population of Dubuque and surrounding areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in ...

'' gave her its "First Citizen" award in 1986. The Dubuque Chamber of Commerece awarded her the Distinguished Civic Service Award in 1993. She received the Dubuque Jaycee's 1996 Gilbert Chavanelle Award. In 2000 the ''

Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cab ...

'' named her as one of the 50 most influential Iowans. Dunn holds honorary degrees from

Loras College Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. Loras offers both undergraduate and graduat ...

, Mount St. Clare College (today

Ashford University The University of Arizona Global Campus (formerly Ashford University) is a public online university affiliated with the University of Arizona. The university announced a deal to acquire Ashford University in 2020 and completed the deal in 2023 ...

), the

University of Dubuque The University of Dubuque (UD) is a private Presbyterian university in Dubuque, Iowa. About 2,200 students attend the university. History The University of Dubuque has had a long history in Dubuque since its founding in 1852. Early years Adri ...

, and

St. Ambrose University St. Ambrose University (SAU) is a private university, private Catholic university in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was founded as a school of commerce for young men in 1882. History Foundation St. Ambrose was founded as a seminary and scho ...

. Early in 2006 Dunn announced that she was planning to step down from her post. Joanne Burrows, SC (Sisters of Charity) PhD succeeded her as president on July 1, 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Catherine Living people Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Arizona State University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) American women academic administrators Academics from Iowa