Dr. Michelle Allmendinger

Bio

Dr. Michelle AllmendingerDr. Michelle Allmendinger is a dedicated leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education.  She currently serves as the Vice President of Student Affairs at Southeastern Community College, in Burlington, IA where she provides leadership for admissions, academic advising, financial aid, student conduct, accessibility services, TRIO, etc. She is an ardent champion of student success and has led numerous initiatives to increase retention and completion throughout her career. In addition to student affairs administrative experience, Dr. Allmendinger also has college teaching and academic affairs experience.

A native of Moline, Illinois, Dr. Allmendinger is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Knox College, where she was a first-generation college student, a two-sport athlete, a McNair Scholar, and earned a double major in English and Secondary Education. She began her professional career as a high school English teacher and part-time college coach before transitioning into full-time collegiate coaching. Dr. Allmendinger earned her master's degree in Sport Sociology and Sport Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2003 and spent six years coaching women's college tennis and softball full-time before moving into higher education administration as Athletic Director and Assistant Dean of Students at Scott Community College.
 
In 2014, she stepped away from her AD role to pursue a doctorate in Higher Education Administration at Michigan State University, which she completed in 2018. Her dissertation focused on ethics and decision-making in higher education administration. Following her doctoral work, she served as Dean of Student Development at Clinton Community College for 5 years, and then in May 2023, she was appointed to her current position of Vice President of Student Affairs at Southeastern Community College.
 
Throughout her career, Dr. Allmendinger has been deeply committed to advancing student success. Her work includes revitalizing a struggling athletic department, developing retention and engagement initiatives for underserved student populations, creating scholarship programs that support first-generation students and their families, and developing pathways for adult students with credits and no credential to return to college.
 
Away from work, Dr. Allmendinger is an avid sports fan and tennis player. She loves to travel and got to go on her dream trip to Ireland last fall.

Summary of Experience

Dr. Allmendinger is a dedicated leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education. Over her career, she has advanced through administrative roles of increasing scope, complexity, and institutional impact leading to her current role as Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA). She is an ardent champion of student success and has led initiatives to increase retention and completion.  More personally, Dr. Allmendinger has been strategically working toward a college presidency for a decade: earning a PhD in Higher Education Administration, shadowing a college president for a year in the Michigan ACE Women’s Network shadow program, and participating in the Iowa Community College Leadership Institute (ICCLI).

Strategic Innovation & Student Success

An expert in strategic enrollment management, Dr. Allmendinger is an innovator for student success and enrollment/retention growth:

  • Revitalized a struggling athletic department (Scott CC) through the restructuring of scholarship allocations to reward persistence and success, the creation of athletic study tables and a scholar-athlete of the year program, etc.
  • Created a student-retention program, RISE, that had 100% fall to spring retention and 75% fall to fall retention for 3 of the first 4 years (Clinton CC). Earned repeated increase of funding from college foundation due to ROI of the program
  • Crafted and launched re-enrollment program, Back as a Blackhawk, that provides support and incentives for adult learners with credits but no credential to re-enroll in college (Southeastern CC)

Fundraising, Partnerships, & Advocacy

Dr. Allmendinger is committed to raising funds and developing strategic partnerships with local businesses, K-12 districts, and legislators to drive college initiatives and meet strategic goals:

  • Fundraised for athletic department (Scott CC) through corporate sponsorships and partnerships, individual donors, and fundraising events (trivia nights). Raised additional college-wide scholarships and other funds at various institutions through collaboration with college foundations
  • Developed strategic partnership with local food truck vendors to solve long standing absence of food service on campus (Clinton CC)
  • Engages state legislators on issues of importance to the college and local partners. Builds and sustains collaborative partnership with all K-12 districts in college’s service area (Southeastern CC)

Executive/Financial Management, Shared Governance, & Campus Culture

As VPSA, Dr. Allmendinger provides leadership for the Student Affairs division at Southeastern and works to ensure fiscal responsibility, shared governance, and a positive culture across campus:

  • Manages division of over 50 individuals. Hires, supervises, and evaluates department directors. Designs and delivers campus-wide professional development on emotional intelligence, ethical decision-making, compliance, etc.
  • Administers ≈ $3 million in divisional and grant budgets including TRIO Student Support Services, TRIO Upward Bound, and a DOJ/OVW grant.  Strategically stewards, along with the rest of the senior leadership team, the college’s nearly $50 million overall budget 
  • Advances shared governance and the improvement of campus culture through intentional collaboration, inclusive decision-making, shared goals, and clear expectations  

Education and Certification

  • Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Higher Education Administration, Michigan State University
  • Masters of Science (MS) in Human Kinetics (specialization in sport sociology and sport psychology), UW-Milwaukee
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Secondary Education and English, Knox College
  • Certificate in Higher Education Law and Policy, NASPA