The Dr. Turina Bakken Endowed Scholarship

The The Dr. Turina Bakken Endowed Scholarship was started to honor Turina R. Bakken, Ph.D. when she retired from Madison College.

Turina’s authenticity is what helps her connect with so many. Here’s how she described it in a 2016 interview:

“Once a teacher, always a teacher I think, but I try each day to link what I have learned on my path to be a leader of faculty and staff, a maintainer of tradition, a role model for future leaders, and a champion of change and innovation in higher education. Just as identity and integrity of the teacher leads to good teaching, it is integrity and authenticity as a leader that drive the value I bring to all aspects of my life, at Madison College and elsewhere. … I believe in leading by knowing people, knowing their names and learning what matters to them, for only then can we make authentic connections that position us to inspire, to lead, to transform.”
–Turina Bakken, Our Lives Magazine, January 2016

Turina served as Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs at Madison College. She is the chief architect of strategy and innovation for the academic enterprise inclusive of over 140 areas of study and nearly 1,300 faculty. In her 24 years at the college, Turina has served as Vice Provost, Associate Vice President, Dean, Associate Dean, program director and faculty member and has received multiple awards. Her past professional experience includes management positions in both the private and public sector in the field of marketing, product development, and sports broadcasting and board management.

Turina holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Administration (ELPA) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science in Marketing and Organizational Theory, a BBA in Marketing with a Specialization in International Business, a BA in French Area Studies, and a certificate from the Faculte des Lettres in Aix en Provence, France. She also played international soccer for two seasons in Southern France.

Turina is an avid sports fan and loves all things Wisconsin Badgers and Madison College Wolfpack.