“It’s amazing how God will use things in your life early on to prepare you for where he wants you to go.”
Dr. Mark Murphy DMLC ’92, a new member of our graduate faculty, is circumspect about how he landed where he is today—serving God as a special education professor.
During high school and college, he thought he’d like to teach science and coach football. “Never in my wildest dreams,” he says, “did I think I would be a college professor—and in the field of special education!”
But through some early experiences, God led him down this path.
During college at DMLC, for instance, he worked for a company that integrated people with special needs into the workforce. He also has family members with exceptionalities. And while teaching and serving as principal at WELS elementary schools in Dakota, Minnesota; Monroe, Michigan; and Brillion, Wisconsin, he found that his heart was drawn to those students who needed extra help.
“It really bothered me,” he says. “I was yearning to help kids who were struggling—kids with learning disabilities.”
Back to School: So he went back to school. He completed his MAE in Administration and Leadership at Marian University (Fond du Lac WI) and his PhD in Special Education Leadership (with a learning disabilities emphasis) through Capella University.
He earned Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction licensures for K-12 Principal, for Director of Special Education and Pupil Services, for Special Education, and for School District Superintendent.
As he did more research—especially into Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)—and gained more expertise over the years, he solidified his learning with internships in public school systems.
Then, in Brillion, Wisconsin, he was able to apply it all in his own WELS elementary school. He established a learning center at Trinity Lutheran School, designed and implemented a special needs resource position, and facilitated early intervention screenings, pre-referral assessment, and IEP/SP meetings.
“That was really the turning point,” he says.
At WLC: God then led him to share his expertise with future public school teachers at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Since 2011, he’s served as a professor of education at WLC, teaching special education and administrative courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs. He also serves as the director of the School of Education with oversight of the undergraduate and graduate education programs. And he’s faculty advisor for the New Friends group, which connects high school and college students to people in their community who have special needs.
WLC has recognized his faithfulness, awarding him the Greenfield Award for Faculty Excellence in the Vocation of Teaching in 2024.
“It’s a privilege to work with students,” he says, “preparing them for the teaching and administrative profession in a Christian Servant Leadership program.”
Beyond WLC: Murphy serves beyond the WLC campus as well. He’s a member of the Leadership Team on the WELS Special Needs Task Force Committee. “That’s close to my heart,” he says, “to assist WELS schools in developing strategies and programs to meet the needs of all students.”
He notes that the window is open for many WELS schools to develop such programs, especially in Wisconsin, where they can take advantage of the Special Needs Scholarship Program, a parental choice program, which allows students with disabilities to receive a state-funded scholarship to attend a participating private school.
Murphy is also a peer reviewer for the Council for Exceptional Children Journal, an advocate and fundraiser for Special Olympics, and a member of several teams and committees: the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators – Principal Preparation and Support Committee, the Association of Wisconsin School Administrators – Leading for Equity Work Team, and the IHE Consultation Team of the Wisconsin Department of Education RTI Center.
Here at MLC: We at MLC are grateful to tap into Dr. Murphy’s expertise and experience. This spring he’s again teaching a special education course in our graduate program: Teaching Reading and Mathematics to Students with Disabilities.
“This course,” he explains, “addresses the affective and cognitive needs of reading and mathematics underachievers through an exploration of pedagogy and research related to reading and math instruction. By participating in various activities, participants will be better equipped to accurately identify students in need of additional supports and will be better able to create accessible/student-centered curriculum and ongoing assessments that allow them to better monitor teaching effectiveness and improve student learning outcomes.”
Who might take this course? “The course will benefit any teacher interested in high-leverage practices for inclusive classrooms,” he says. “I’m looking forward to sharing practical strategies to help teachers help their students that struggle in math and reading.”
MLC students will certainly benefit from the depth and color Dr. Murphy will add to his course based on his experiences as both classroom teacher and administrator, in both public and parochial settings, and as a researcher in Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). He also fills in as a school district substitute principal to help with staffing shortages when his schedule allows.
And more than that, MLC graduate students will be able to absorb Dr. Murphy’s love for students who struggle. “Some of my most rewarding experiences,” he says, “have been working with students with learning disabilities, watching them overcome obstacles, and experiencing success.”
Murphy is grateful God led him down this path, beginning with that job while he was a student at DMLC. “God gave me these experiences,” he says. “God focused me on being an advocate for people who don’t have a voice. Now I want to give them a voice. I want to be an advocate for them so they can be a voice for themselves.”
More about Dr. Mark Murphy
Family: “My wife, Jodi Murphy DMLC ’91, teaches first grade at Pilgrim Lutheran in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. We are blessed with one adult son, Josh. He recently completed his MBA and works for Baird Financial.”
Congregation: Pilgrim-Menomonee Falls WI
Ministry: St. John in Dakota, Minnesota (1992-1997), Zion in Monroe, Michigan (1997-2002) and Trinity in Brillion, Wisconsin (2002-2011), WLC (2011-present)
Hobbies: “I love anything outdoors—downhill skiing in Colorado, hiking, camping, and just enjoying God’s great creation of the beautiful outdoors. I would love to try skydiving someday!”
