Sue Larkin
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Phone Number: 402.826.2161Department: Academic Affairs Office
Email: [email protected]
Primary Campus: Crete
Dr. Susan Larkin is Vice President for Academic Affairs at Doane University, where she leads academic strategy across residential, online, and extended learning programs. Her work centers on aligning academic priorities with financial sustainability while maintaining a strong commitment to faculty governance and student success. She brings a humanistic perspective to leadership and a deep belief in education as both a public good and a deeply personal transformation.
Prior to joining Doane, Dr. Larkin served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and as Professor of English at Virginia Wesleyan University, where she expanded graduate and online programs, strengthened accreditation and assessment practices, and built partnerships to support enrollment growth and access, including the development of a prison education program.
Trained as a scholar of children’s and young adult literature and women’s studies, she holds a B.A. from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and a M.A. and Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University. She has taught everything from college writing to courses on Harry Potter, banned books, and women in sports. She still thinks of herself as a teacher at heart and believes classrooms are among the most powerful spaces for empowering people to find their voice.
Born in Boston and raised in Rhode Island, she is a former Division III softball player and starting second baseman on Wheaton’s first ever World Series team. When not working, Dr. Larkin enjoys traveling, restorative walks to the local ice cream parlour, watching women’s sports, reading an eclectic mix of genres, and playing almost any board or card game.