Administration

Communications

Dr. R. Joseph Dieker to be 154th Annual Commencement Speaker
Monday, April 26, 2010

CANTON, Mo. – In recognition of his years of service to the college community, today Culver-Stockton College announced Dr. R. Joseph Dieker, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, as this year’s featured commencement speaker. Dr. Dieker will address 170 eager Culver-Stockton graduates who will be in attendance for the college’s 154th commencement on Saturday, May 15, 2010. Dieker will share his experiences on “the Hill” and highlight the challenges to come and the opportunities successful graduates can embrace. His successes as a teacher, musician, college leader and mentor will serve as an inspiring message for students graduating this year.

Dieker’s 21 years at Culver-Stockton have included numerous leadership roles including the creation of a new and different curriculum, which effectively transformed all areas of the college’s academic programs. The immersive and interactive nature of this curriculum, EXP@CSC, has breathed new life into an already amazing learning environment.

“With Dr. Dieker’s leadership, Culver-Stockton is in a good position moving forward,” said President Richard Valentine. “He has been instrumental in providing a truly special and unique college experience for our students.”

Dieker’s contributions to Culver-Stockton go beyond the expectations of his current job responsibilities. His relationship with Culver-Stockton College began in 1989 as an associate professor of music. Among his early accomplishments, Dieker created and conducted the Culver-Stockton Wind Ensemble, the college’s premier instrumental ensemble. Other responsibilities have included conducting the Symphonic Band and teaching applied woodwinds and courses in music theory and arranging. In 2001, Dieker was promoted to Chair of the Fine Arts Division, a position he held until 2004 when he was invited to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. Since that time, he has been integral in the development of Culver-Stockton’s strategic and campus master planning process as well as the development and implementation of the new curriculum.

Dieker has had many awards, accolades and accomplishments during his time on the Hill. He received the Burlington Northern Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching; his Wind Ensemble was selected to perform for the Missouri Music Educators Association Conference; under his leadership, the music department was accepted as an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music, among others.

Even as a busy administrator, Dieker never forgot his roots in music. As a scholar, he has published articles on the role of Victor Herbert as an American bandmaster and march composer. His modern band arrangements of Herbert’s marches have been published by Theodore Presser and Educational Music Services. Dieker is respected and well known throughout the region as a talented conductor and clarinetist.