Kevin J. Stensberg, Ed.D., has been named vice president for student affairs for Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College.

Stensberg, who uses he/him pronouns, brings more than two decades of experience to the appointment, with multiple leadership roles at campuses in the U.S., Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Since September 2024, he has served the BSU and NTC communities as interim senior student affairs officer and dean of students.

“Kevin has already made a meaningful difference for our students and our campuses,” John L. Hoffman, BSU and NTC president, said. “His depth of experience, steady leadership and unwavering commitment to student success have strengthened our work over the past year and positioned us well for the future. I am grateful for his willingness to continue serving our communities, and I look forward to working for him as we prepare to launch and advance our new strategic plan.”

As vice president for student affairs, Stensberg will serve on the BSU/NTC Executive Cabinet and continue his leadership for housing & residential life, dining services, student involvement, the CARE team, and student conduct, among other responsibilities. He also oversees student wellness and serves as Executive Cabinet liaison to both the BSU and NTC Student Senates.

“It’s been an honor to serve in an interim capacity,” Stensberg said. “I’m excited about what we have in store. To be able to start a cabinet-level job as a strategic plan is being launched is everyone’s dream, and there are parts of that plan that really sing to student life work.”

Stensberg says some of the key opportunities in BSU’s immediate student affairs-related future align with his specialties determining infrastructure needs and a sustainable future for housing and dining operations, in particular.

“To be able to dig my teeth into those is exciting,” he said. “We’re in the process right now of the dining RFP, so this will determine our dining provider for at least the next 710 years.
“With housing, we know we will need more suite-style or possibly small, efficiency-type apartments, since we have an increase in non-traditional students,” he said. “We know we need a different mix.”

Before coming to BSU and NTC, Stensberg served The George Washington University as assistant vice provost for student support and residential engagement. In that role, his responsibilities included oversight of military and veteran services, health promotion and education, first-generation student services, the university’s CARE Team which helps connect students who may need additional support with resources they need to be successful the campus food pantry and the university’s Residential Education operations.

Prior to his tenure at George Washington, Stensberg was assistant vice president for student living and Title IX investigator at Syracuse University; manager of student life and academic review manager at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia; site director for Northeastern University campuses in London and Thessaloniki, Greece; and assistant executive dean for the Semester at Sea program. Additionally, he has served as dean of students at the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies in Beijing, China; as assistant director of residence life at Georgetown University; assistant director of residential education at Montclair State University; and area director for residential properties at Rutgers UniversityNewark.

Stensberg has a bachelor’s degree in service management from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, a master’s degree in higher education leadership from the University of Central Missouri and a doctorate in organizational leadership from Northeastern University. He also holds a certificate in international business management from Georgetown.

Stensberg’s appointment begins December 3, 2025.