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In Memoriam: Stephen A. Gould

Aug. 3, 2025

We are saddened to share that Lakeland President Emeritus Stephen A. Gould, an important figure in the institution鈥檚 history and evolution, died Friday from injuries sustained in an auto accident. He was 80.

We also continue to send prayers and support to his wife, Susan, former Lakeland registrar, as she recovers from the auto accident.

From 1998-2012, Gould served one of the most significant presidencies in Lakeland history, helping transform the main campus and expand its reach globally.

Lakeland enjoyed enormous growth during Gould鈥檚 14-year administration, including records in enrollment, fundraising and growth of the endowment fund. The campus saw more than $20 million in construction and upgrades during the Gould presidency, including the construction of the Laun Center for Business and Technology and three new state-of-the-art residence halls, significant renovations to the Chase Science Center and the Nash Visitors Center and a dramatic expansion of the Todd Wehr Athletic Center.

Gould helped develop Lakeland into a resource for the region, as well as a good neighbor as Lakeland students and employees logged thousands of hours in community service throughout the region.

鈥淧resident Gould was the embodiment of everything that is Lakeland,鈥� said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. 鈥淗e cared deeply for this institution and its people and became a role model for countless others to feel the same. Thanks to his leadership, Lakeland made significant strides forward that have us well-positioned today for success for years to come. We are stunned at his sudden passing, and while he will be deeply missed, we will forever celebrate his legacy.鈥�

After earning his undergraduate degree from Wabash College in Indiana and his master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska, Gould joined Lakeland鈥檚 faculty in 1970 as an instructor of German, retiring in 2012 after serving the institution for 42 years. Reflecting at the time of his retirement, he said, 鈥淚 found in Lakeland鈥檚 mission a purpose for my life. I found it especially purposeful to be involved in the lives of those people, whether they were traditional age or found their stride a lot later in life. That鈥檚 given me a sense of meaning for the things that I do.鈥�

He settled into the Lakeland community, living on Prof Row in the home that had been occupied by beloved professor Joe Bauer. Gould soaked up the history of Lakeland and Mission House by visiting with Bauer, who was a resident at Rocky Knoll Health Care Center.

While he maintained a lifelong love for teaching, his most significant contributions came as an administrator. Gould was named associate dean of lifelong learning in 1979, and he was instrumental in shaping the early days of Lakeland creating the state鈥檚 first programming for non-traditional age students, which remains today the majority of Lakeland鈥檚 enrollment.

In 2004, Gould鈥檚 vision led to the development of the BlendEd program, paving the way for Lakeland to offer its students one of the most flexible, student-centered learning platforms in the nation.

In the early 1990s, Gould was asked by then-President David Black to move to Tokyo as Lakeland joined the rush of American schools establishing campuses in Japan. Lakeland opened its two-year campus in Tokyo in the fall of 1990, and Gould led its growth, serving as provost and dean until 1994. Lakeland is one of just two U.S. institutions to remain in Japan, and the Tokyo campus has expanded to offer bachelor鈥檚 and graduate degrees and welcomes students from all over the world.

Gould returned to Wisconsin and by 1997 was Black鈥檚 right-hand man, helping implement a vision for an institution that was growing dramatically. It was only natural when Black left in 1997 that the opportunity to lead turned to Gould. Becoming president was never his goal, but Black and other members of the college鈥檚 leadership team convinced Gould to apply.

The next 14 years lifted Lakeland new heights. The Lakeland of 1970 is hard to imagine, let alone recognize.

鈥淚 knew if I did the jobs I was given as well as I could do them, a whole lot of students would get a chance and the trajectory of those lives would be raised,鈥� Gould said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been able to leverage those positions to enable me to improve the lives of a lot more students than I would have teaching 20 students as a time. Sometimes the jobs absorbed more of my life than I would have preferred, but I always felt I was doing something meaningful.

鈥淭he student who gets an internship and gets a job and helps a company grow is not always a student the world would have predicted would have done those things. That鈥檚 the pride of being a Muskie. The faculty who teach here and staff who work here are engaged happily in that mission, and they find, in the same way Susan and I found, meaning and purpose in that engagement. I believed in it. I never have stopped believing in it.鈥�

Gould was named President Emeritus by the Board of Trustees upon his retirement in 2012, and he was also Professor Emeritus. At Homecoming 2019, South Hall was renamed Stephen A. Gould Hall in recognition of his many contributions.

A complete obituary and details for any services will be shared when they become available.