Dr. Mark Dochterman, SIUE East St. Louis Center Deputy Director, Settles into New Role
Support staff, grow programs and expand impact and exposure are top priorities for the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center (ESLC) Deputy Director Mark Dochterman, PhD.
“I am really excited to jump into this role and help the ESLC thrive,” explained Dochterman. “My past experience has provided me with an ability to manage people and to lead projects aimed at securing the financial resources to support programs, students, and the community. These are skills that will be important to the success of this position.”
Dochterman began working at SIUE in October 2023 as deputy director at the SIUE East St. Louis Center.
Dochterman supervises six programs: Upward Bound, serving SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School, East St. Louis Senior High School, Madison Senior High School, Lovejoy High School and Cahokia High School; Upward Bound Scholars Academy at Collinsville High School; Veterans Upward Bound; Building Futures; East St. Louis Center for the Performing Arts; and the Learning Resource Center.
He also serves as a member of the University’s Behavioral Intervention Team.
“Dr. Dochterman brings to SIUE years of excellent, student and people focused experience as a university administrator,” said SIUE East St. Louis Executive Director, Timothy Staples, EdD. “The plethora of experience with student engagement and program administration will assist Dr. Dochterman in the strategic plan to revision and reimagine the work of SIUE’s East St. Louis location.”
Staff are the backbone of any program, noted Dochterman, which is why he is focused on providing them with the tools, skills and environment needed to thrive.
“Staff sometimes gets pulled away from directly supporting students to do the work that is required to satisfy grant requirements,” he said. “Then there are duties and responsibilities they have to perform in regard to the University.”
“To a large degree, I see myself supporting staff by helping them navigate the complexities of these layers, and by helping them work through processes that could bog things down,” continued Dochterman. “I also have a vantage that helps me keep an eye toward longer term opportunities and challenges. In this way, I can help staff spend a larger part of their time actually doing the work with our students and clients.”
Other ways the deputy director plans to help staff and programs include discovering fresh opportunities for collaboration, exposure and growth.
“I want to help the programs make the largest possible impact on the students and patrons of their services,” said Dochterman. “I also hope to find new and creative ways that these programs can work together to strengthen and increase our connections to the Edwardsville and Alton campuses. I would love to see more SIUE students, faculty and staff visiting this campus.”
“In addition, I intend to identify ways that the programming we offer is clearly and directly linked to the needs of those in East St. Louis and the larger Metro East community,” he added.
Dochterman started his career as a coordinator in student affairs at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Honors College in Baton Rouge. As Director of Student Engagement, he worked with student organizations focused on service-learning in post Hurricane Katrina and developed components of a new honors curriculum.
He moved to the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), where he became the Director of the Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center. In that role, he worked within the university, connecting service with academic programs and strengthening relationships with the larger community, specifically linking with nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and United Way. Dochterman also joined students with learning opportunities on a national level, partnering them with the AmeriCorps Vista program and overseeing service trips to locations across the U.S.
Before coming to SIUE, Dochterman served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Engagement at UIS. He served as a bridge between academic affairs and student affairs and took a lead role in several grant projects, ultimately leading to UIS procuring a $2.25 million Strengthening Institutions grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
He holds a bachelor’s in business administration from Illinois College in Jacksonville, a master’s in communication studies from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., and a doctorate in higher education administration from LSU.
“Woven into the fabric of my career is my commitment to ADEI (anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion),” said Dochterman. “I have always tried to fully integrate it into my work. I am looking forward to helping boost the staff and elevate and expand the programming on the East St. Louis campus.”
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) East St. Louis Center has supported youth, adults and families in the Metro East community for more than 70 years. The Center is part of a historic, rich and vibrant community—and we are committed to being a neighbor East St. Louis residents can count on. We inspire individuals and families, and help them lead successful and healthy lives. We provide care for young children. We help teens prepare for college. We help young adults build skills that lead to success in college and better jobs. We offer high-quality, affordable health care. The Center is part of a community of learners on the Illinois Community College Board’s Wyvetter H. Younge Higher Education Campus.
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Dr. Marc Dochterman is the Deputy Director of the SIUE East St. Louis Center.