Dr. Pamela M. Jolicoeur

Pamela M. Jolicoeur, the 10th president of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., died June 9, 2010, in MeritCare Palliative Care Unit, Fargo, N.D.She was 65.Jolicoeur was born October. 21, 1944, in Denver and raised in California's San Fernando Valley where she attended Catholic schools and a Catholic girls' summer camp. These experiences inspired her to enter the Sisters of Social Service after graduating from high school. She was a member of that community of vowed women for six years.She earned her undergraduate degree from Santa Clara Calif. University and her doctorate degree in sociology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. Her first academic job was at California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, where she started as a member of the sociology faculty and left 32 years later as its provost and dean of the faculty. During her time there, she adopted her Lutheran identity.Throughout her professional and academic career, Jolicoeur took great pride in helping people become who they wanted to be, whether it was students in her sociology classes or her colleagues in teaching and administration.She carried those attributes to Concordia where her vision led the college to the next level of excellence. She helped to complete a $100 million capital campaign, which included the construction of the Knutson Campus Center. She established the vision for new initiatives in the sciences and the Concordia College School of Business, while enhancing Concordia's leadership in global education.Jolicoeur was one of a select group of American college presidents invited by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to participate in a summit on international education. She also was one of 30 college leaders who participated in an international conference in Istanbul that looked for ways to strengthen exchanges between American and Muslim majority colleges and universities.She was invited to present at the Independent University in Bangladesh and met with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus at the Grameen Bank Headquarters in Dhaka. She was instrumental in establishing a student exchange program with the United International College in Zhuhai, China, through the Minnesota Private College Council.Jolicoeur served on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Minnesota Private College Council, Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media and the Greater Fargo-Moorhead Economic Development Corporation.She married Harvey E. Rich in 1971 and they had a daughter, Jessica. She married Michael A. Doyle on May 19, 2001.Jolicoeur read voraciously and embraced interests ranging from classical music to tandem cycling. She was an adventuresome traveler who insisted on traveling in style. In the early 1990s, she and Michael spent nearly two weeks biking the coast of California. Allowed one small backpack, she included a favorite dress and her hair dryer.She had an unusual gift and interest in connecting with people and worked hard at maintaining the relationships she formed. She was sought out on an international level for her ability to articulate the value of private higher education and the need for global engagement.She is survived by her husband, Michael; a daughter, Jessica A. J. Rich, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; her mother, Eleanor M. Jolicoeur, Chatsworth, Calif.; sisters, Sue Kremser, Santa Barbara, Calif., and Roxane Jolicoeur, Chatsworth; nieces, nephews, a great-niece and four great-nephews.Her father, Duncan Jolicoeur, preceded her in death.An informal memorial gathering will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 13, in the Centrum, Knutson Campus Center, Concordia College. A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Monday, June 14, in Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead. A time for fellowship will follow at Anderson Commons, Knutson Campus Center, Concordia. A memorial service will be held in California at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at Holy Trinity Lutheran, Thousand Oaks.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be directed to the President Pamela M. Jolicoeur Memorial Scholarship at Concordia College. Information can be found at urlhttp://www.ConcordiaCollege.edu/giving/url or by calling 800 699-9896.