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Remembering Dr. Stephen A. Gould: Lakeland Japan's First Dean

Aug. 5, 2025

The LUJ community was saddened to hear the news of the passing of Dr. Stephen A. Gould (1945 – 2025).

We at LUJ owe a great deal to Dr. Gould. It was over 34 years ago, on April 22, 1991, when Lakeland College Japan officially opened its doors. Dr. Gould was there, front and center, as Lakeland Japan’s first dean and provost.

Dr. Gould had a tremendous passion for teaching, and his devotion to higher education is one of the reasons LUJ has been so successful here in Japan. Dr. Gould’s establishing vision helped push LUJ to where it is today.

“President Gould was the embodiment of everything that is Lakeland,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen on behalf of Lakeland University Wisconsin. “He 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.”

LUJ's Assistant Professor of General Studies, Luis Poza, started at LUJ in 1998 when Dr. Gould had just begun his term as President of Lakeland University (1998 - 2012). Mr. Poza recalls that Dr. Gould was "always trying to do the best for the school," and was "one of those bosses that you wanted to work for." With a smile, Mr. Poza added that Dr. Gould "was a great guy who you always wanted to see. Gruff yet humble."

"He had a great sense of humor," says Professor Ruth Lionberger, who came to Lakeland around the same time as Mr. Poza. Ms. Lionberger and Dr. Gould both graduated from the University of Nebraska. "I remember I wrote a silly haiku for him once, but I don't remember what it was now."

Valdorian Cline, currently an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructor, can still remember Dr. Gould's wife, Susan, teaching advanced level reading classes at the Otsuka campus. Mr. Cline shares how much of an impact Dr. Gould had on him in those first few years: "When I was hired by Dr. Stephen Gould in 1992 to teach at the newly founded LUJ branch campus in Tokyo, the standards of pedagogical excellence that he set during those early years were both daunting and inspiring: 33 years later, I am still here trying to realize those noble ideals in every class that I teach."

When LUJ's Dean Emeritus, Dr. Alan Brender, needed guidance while leading LUJ, he often went to Dr. Gould. "During much of my first decade as Dean of LUJ, Dr. Stephen Gould was president of Lakeland University and was my mentor and advisor. He frequently visited the Japan campus, personally kept in touch with the alumni from the formative years, and provided enormously helpful advice and direction from Wisconsin. From his early days as the first Dean of LUJ, throughout his presidency, and even after his retirement, President Gould focused on the Japan campus and significantly contributed to its success. A guiding light has been unfortunately extinguished with his untimely death."

When Lakeland College Japan (LCJ) opened in 1991, there were 29 other American schools vying to attract Japanese students and stay in business. Dr. Gould, when interviewed by Sheboygan Press reporter Natalie Johnson in late March that same year, mentioned how many competitors there were. But, with strength and conviction, he said this: "It's our intent to be the standard by which other programs are judged."

Here we are, in 2025, the only private liberal arts American college still standing. And we couldn't have done it without Dr. Gould.