Vice President for Academic Affairs Greg Leeper has announced that Vincent (Vinnie) Zarletti, D.W.S., has been appointed to serve as North Central University’s next Dean of the College of Fine Arts (COFA).
Zarletti is a 2002 graduate of North Central and has served with distinction as a COFA faculty member since 2015. He holds a Doctor of Worship Studies degree from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies (2017) and also earned his master’s degree in Worship Studies from the Webber Institute in 2013. Zarletti has served as Director of the School of Worship Arts and as Associate Professor in the College of Fine Arts at NCU.
Prior to returning to NCU, Zarletti served as Associate Youth and Young Adult/Music Pastor at Calvary Assemblies of God in Winter Park, Florida, and as Creative Arts Pastor and Associate Pastor for New Life Church in Princeton, Minnesota, where he still serves in the Creative Arts role.
Scholarship, service, and spiritual leadership
“During his time here, Dr. Zarletti has embodied what it means to be a North Central faculty member through his faithfulness in teaching, scholarship, service, and spiritual leadership,” Vice President Leeper said. “He is a beloved and effective teacher who cares deeply about both practice and theology in the worship life of the Church. Dr. Zarletti writes and publishes original music, leads worship at his church, and writes on the topic of worship. In addition to committee service, curriculum development, and co-curricular engagement, he has played a key role in representing the College of Fine Arts internally and externally. Dr. Zarletti is known by both students and peers for his spiritual leadership in and out of the classroom.”
Zarletti assumes his new role following the long-term leadership of Larry Bach, M.M. Bach will continue as a faculty member for one year, with plans to retire in 2022, but he is leaving the administrative leadership role.
Continuing a legacy
Bach is enthusiastic about Zarletti’s selection as his successor. “Vinnie’s love for NCU, passion for the arts in a theological context, and his obvious care and concern for students and colleagues will serve him well in his new role as dean,” Bach said. “I am so excited for the College of Fine Arts to be under the leadership of Vinnie Zarletti.”
For Zarletti, the opportunity to succeed his mentor represents a profound opportunity. “I remember singing for a scholarship audition for Larry Bach in 1996. In 1997, Larry became my academic advisor and teacher. In 2015 I could not believe that Larry was hiring me to be a faculty member at NCU, and the fact that I’ll be succeeding him as the next dean of the College of Fine Arts is incredibly surreal for me. I am humbled and honored to serve in this role, and I look forward to building on Larry Bach’s four-decade legacy.”
Zarletti and his wife, Justine, live in Princeton, Minnesota, and have three children, Vinnie (14), Sofia (12), and Santino (almost 10).
Watch Dr. Zarletti leading worship in NCU Chapel, singing “Lamb of God,” an original piece he composed.
