Public Institution

The North Dakota State Board of Higher Education has named Dr. Bernell Hirning as the next president of Williston State College. Dr. Hirning most recently served as Associate Regional Dean and Regional Associate Vice President for National University, the second largest private, non-profit university in California. He started as a lead campus administrator for the Redding Campus in Northern California. After successfully growing that campus, he relocated to Central California to lead campuses in Fresno, Bakersfield, and Porterville. With successful growth at those locations, he was promoted to Regional Associate Vice President, overseeing operations for ten regional campuses across a 44-county area in central and northern California, through onsite and online instruction. Dr. Hirning was born, raised, and educated in North Dakota. He holds a Ph.D. from Capella University, a Master's and Bachelor’s degree from Minot State University, and an Associate degree from Williston State College (formerly UND-Williston).  Read more here.

The University of Houston - Downtown has also announced the appointment of Dr. Sheila Lloyd as its new Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs. She will officially assume this role on June 1, 2021. Dr. Lloyd, currently serving as the Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning and Faculty Affairs, the Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence and a Professor of English for Mills College, will apply her years of administrative experience in helping to advance the strategic planning and diversity initiatives of UHD. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in English Literature from Cornell University and a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University. Read more here.

The University of Houston -Downtown has announced the appointment of Dr. Wendy Burns-Ardolino as its new Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She will officially assume this role on July 1, 2021. Dr. Burns-Ardolino currently serves as the Director, Professional Master of Arts in Social Innovation and Professor in the Integrative, Religious & Intercultural Studies Department at Grand Valley State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies and M.A. in English from George Mason University, and a B.A. in International Politics & Philosophy from the University of Hull, Kingston-Upon-Hull, England. Read more here.

Southern Connecticut State University has appointed Jennifer Robin, Ph.D. as its new Dean of the School of Business. Dr. Robin currently serves as Associate Dean of, and Professor in, the Foster College of Business at Bradley University where she oversaw AACSB accreditation and an array of student programs and services. Previously, she served as Associate Dean for Graduate and Executive Programs at Bradley. Dr. Robin holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Tennessee and undergraduate degrees in both Human Resource Management and Psychology from the University of Northern Iowa. Dr. Robin will join SCSU on July 2, 2021. Read more here.

Arizona State University has appointed Jeffrey Kordower, Ph.D. as the founding Director of the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center and endowed Chair of the Charlene and J. Orin Edson Distinguished Director at the Biodesign Institute. Dr. Kordower previously was the Alla V. and Solomon Jesmer Professor of Aging and Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. He is an international authority in the area of neurodegenerative diseases, especially movement disorders, with special expertise in experimental therapeutics and pathogenesis. Dr. Kordower received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Queens College, City University of New York. He also received an honorary Doctor of Science from Queens College, City University of New York. Read more here.

The University of Toledo has appointed Dr. David Meredith, Ph.D. as its Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management, effective 2/11/21.

The University of North Dakota has named Dr. Eric Link as the university's new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2021. Dr. Link currently serves as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Houston-Downtown, a public, comprehensive institution of more than 15,000 students. In his role as provost, Dr. Link has provided leadership for the academic affairs, student affairs, and enrollment management operations of the university. An award-winning teacher and scholar, he earned his Ph.D. in American Literature from Purdue University. Read more here.

Arizona State University has announced the appointment of Dr. Sridhar Seetharaman as the Vice Dean for Research and Innovation in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.  Before joining ASU he served as the associate vice president for research and technology transfer at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Seetharaman received his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his undergraduate degree from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. Read more here.

The Board of Regents of the New York State Education Department has appointed Dr. Betty A. Rosa as permanent Commissioner of Education and President of the University of the State of New York. Dr. Rosa has served as Interim Commissioner since August 2020. A nationally recognized education leader, Dr. Rosa will be the first Latina woman to serve in the position. She has more than thirty years of instructional and administrative experience, with expertise in inclusive education, cooperative teaching models, student achievement, and policy implementation. She received Ed.D. and M.Ed. degrees in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. Read more here.

Central Connecticut State University has concluded its search for the inaugural Vice President for Equity and Inclusion with the hiring of Dr. Stacey Miller. For the past five years, Dr. Miller served as Associate Provost for Inclusion and Retention at Valparaiso University in northwestern Indiana. As the chief diversity officer, she was responsible for the creation and implementation of the University’s strategic vision for diversity and inclusion and worked on a number of initiatives to strengthen the institutional climate and hiring practices.  Prior to her tenure at Valpo, Dr. Miller served as the director of residential life in the Student Affairs division at the University of Vermont (UVM), a position she held for 12 years. She also received her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from UVM and served there as a lecturer for the higher education and student affairs graduate program.  Dr. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Stony Brook University.  Read more here.