Public Institution

The Kansas Board of Regents has appointed Dr. Richard Muma as the 15th president of Wichita State University, effective immediately. Dr. Muma has been serving as interim president of Wichita State since September 2020. He has been a cornerstone of the campus community for over 25 years as a professor, department chair, executive vice president and provost, acting president and most recently, interim president.

Dr. Dione Dorsey Somerville has been selected as the next president of Owens Community College. Dr. Somerville serves as executive vice president at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa. Prior to Hawkeye, she was vice president for student affairs at Bloomsburg University. Dr. Somerville was dean of students at Iowa State University prior to Bloomsburg. Before beginning at Iowa State, Dr. Somerville served as director of enrollment services at Lorain County Community College. Dr. Somerville earned a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and bachelor’s degree in English/Writing from Ohio Northern University. Dr. Somerville was a Fellow at the Association of Governing Boards Institute for Leadership and Governance in its inaugural year. Dr. Somerville participated in the Harvard University Institute for Education Management and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Institute. Read more here.

The University of Nebraska Board of Regents unanimously confirmed Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, as the 16th chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Dr. Li will become the first woman of color to serve as UNO chancellor and the first Asian-American in the history of the University of Nebraska system to hold an executive leadership role.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, has announced Dr. Barbara J. Wilson as the 22nd President of the University of Iowa. Dr. Wilson brings extensive leadership experience to her role as UI President. Since 2016, she has served as Executive Vice President and Vice President for Academic Affairs for the University of Illinois System, which enrolls more than 90,000 students across three main campuses and includes a 462-bed hospital.

Nevada State College has chosen Dr. DeRionne Pollard as their next President. Dr. Pollard is currently the President of Montgomery College, the largest Community College in Maryland, where she has served since 2010.  Prior to being named president of Montgomery College, she served as the administrative and instructional president of Las Positas College in California. Dr. Pollard earned a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 1993, a master’s degree in English from Iowa State University in 1995, and a Ph.D., with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, from Loyola University in 2005. Read more here.

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.