Rolla, Missouri, United States
I have a combined 35 years in university faculty, research, teaching, and administrative roles. For 24 of these years, I also served in a broad range of leadership positions. These include service in two academic deanships, as vice president for student success, and as provost and executive vice-chancellor. Areas for which I have had leadership responsibility for (in one or more positions) include university-wide faculty affairs, student affairs, enrollment management, registrar, financial aid, research and sponsored programs, libraries, and even Division I athletics. In my most recent appointment as Provost, I had responsibility for approximately $150 Million in annual expenditures and over 1500 faculty and staff (not including student employees). I am very proud of achievements in all of these roles. These include leading student successes of overseeing record enrollments at both Montana State and Missouri S&T universities, as well as record retention and graduation rates. At S&T I had also led the appointment of record number of faculty appointments. A tripling of research expenditures in the College of Engineering under my deanship helped establish Montana State as an R1 institution in the Carnegie Classifications in 2006. In my last year as Provost (2019), S&T also achieved a new record level of research expenditures to that time. I have led the securing of approximately $130 Million in new external resources as dean and provost. This includes significant philanthropic support, as well as State and Federal sources for critical initiatives. I also led meaningful diversity efforts in these positions having achieved a nearly 5-fold increase in the number of women in tenure-track positions (including STEM areas), in addition to achieving a #5 ranking for the graduation of Native American engineers and computer scientists. My early faculty research career was largely focused on understanding and reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), particularly for work-related low-back and upper-extremity injuries. This focused on a variety of workplaces, but particularly in manufacturing, utility distribution, and health care sectors. I have also helped lead in the modern adaptation of psychophysical science and methodologies used in a variety of applications, such as in medical surveillance, industrial and user interface design. Areas of teaching experience include work design, ergonomics, safety, statistics and experimental design, as well as financial management and leadership. Please examine these and other details below.
Tenured appointment in an endowed professorship named for Robert Koplar, a pioneer in the field of Engineering Management and an early adopter of instructional technologies. Utilizing my own 24 years of experience in university administration, including two deanships, a vice presidency, and as provost, at three research universities, I continue to study and promote leadership development in complex organizations. As a proud citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma (Deer Clan), I am particularly interested in examining the progress of under-represented minority leaders and campus inclusiveness. I will also be cultivating new corporate relations and partner educational institutions for distance/on-line programs on behalf of the EMSE Department and College of Engineering at Missouri S&T. I still pursue teaching and basic research questions in human factors engineering, ergonomics, public safety, statistics, engineering management, and leadership.
Chief Academic Officer of one of the leading technological research universities in the U.S.. Previously known as the University of Missouri-Rolla, Missouri S&T was founded as a land-grant college and is now part of the University of Missouri System. I provided leadership and oversight of academic colleges and programs, distance and on-line programs, research and sponsored programs, the library, international programs, enrollment management, financial aid, Registrar, and pre-college programs. Responsibility for approximately $150 Million in annual expenditures in Academic Affairs with direct and indirect supervision of approximately 1500 faculty and staff (exclusive of student employees). Further responsibility for promoting academic and scholarly excellence, faculty and student recruitment, and implementation of the University's strategic plan. Highlights of leadership accomplishments during my five years of service as Provost include the completion of a newly formed academic college structure and the appointment of founding Deans and staff in 2014. S&T also achieved an all-time record student enrollment in 2017-18 as well as a record number of faculty line appointments in 2018-19. We were also elevated to a "highly selective" university and achieved a ranking in the top 100 of all US institutions for highest average entering ACT scores for our students in 2018. Research expenditures and faculty awards also eclipsed previous record levels in 2018-19. New cooperative programs were initiated with Missouri State University and UM-St. Louis. Regional accreditation (HLC) was fully reaffirmed in 2019 and I helped identify significant funding used for facility upgrades including a new high-performance computer center (HPC) in 2016, and a new classroom building (opened in 2020).
Retained on part-time basis for consulting in human factors engineering, ergonomics, public safety, and industrial engineering concepts, to the Principle and engineering staff of this international consulting organization.
Leveraging a strong partnership with Missouri S&T, I served as the founding officer for GUST's newest academic unit, the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA). Oversaw completion and outfitting of complex facility for instruction and research. Led hiring of founding Department Heads, faculty, and staff. Led strategic planning efforts to align new teaching and research goals of the University. Lead efforts to gain final approvals from Kuwait's Ministry of Higher Education for additional degree programs as well as for admission of students. At the time I departed GUST in the fall of 2024, nearly 1000 students had joined the CEA. As Kuwait's first private university established in 2002, GUST has risen rapidly in international rankings and was recently recognized by QS Ranking as a 5-Star University, one of only 25 such institutions world-wide. All of GUST's curricula is delivered in English, and programs are professionally accredited, or seeking when ready, by the most widely recognized agencies including AACSB and ABET.
Appointment as Vice-President for a recently reframed division at MSU focused on building and enhancing various student success initiatives plus traditional student affairs functions. Areas of leadership and oversight included Dean of Students, Admissions, enrollment management, Registrar, Financial Aid, Veterans Affairs, and student health operations. Also briefly oversaw Division I Athletics during transition to Office of the President. MSU's distinguished Rodeo Team and other non-NCAA and club sports continued to report to Office of VPSS. Working with Directors and staff from across the Division to increase strategic service to students and faculty.
Tenure-track appointment with expectations of teaching, research, and service. Developed new coursework and responsible for instruction in ergonomics and safety engineering topics in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Department. Other areas of instruction (at all levels) included statistics, experimental design, work measurement and standards, project and engineering management. Collaborated in cross-disciplinary research dedicated to examining basic and applied problems of both workplace and daily-living health and safety activities. An affiliate member of the both the Western Transportation Institute and Division of Health Sciences at MSU (home of the WWAMI Medical Program), providing expertise in transportation systems, human factors, and occupational health and safety, respectively.
Chief academic and financial officer for the largest array of professionally-oriented programs in the five-state area. At the time I left the deanship, the College of Engineerign enrolled nearly 3500 students in one of 22 degree programs (10 UG and 12 GR) and I had the privilege to lead of over 400 faculty and staff members (not including student employees) with 15 direct reports. Responsibility for over $35 Million in annual expenditures. (excluding gifts) Other responsibilities and accomplishments in research and program development, fundraising, Federal and State relations, plus faculty and student diversity. During my deanship, MSU achieved R1 ranking in the Carnegie classifications in 2006 as a "very high" achieving research university. The College of Engineering also realized significant increases in faculty and student diversity. At the time I left the College, we exceeded the national average for women tenured and tenure-track faculty, and had also achieved a #5 ranking nationally in the graduation of Native American engineers and computer scientists. I am also proud of the substantial increase in private support that began during my deanship. We developed the first six named professorhips resulting in a significant ability to recruit and retain top faculty and serve students. In addition, I was privileged to having led the concept development and donor cultivation of what ultimately became the largest private gift in the state of Montana at $50 Million for the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and Norm Asbjornson Hall.
Selected to participate in the recognized premier leadership development program in higher education, the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellowship. Participated in numerous activities and functions created by ACE featuring seminars, team-based case studies, independent study and interaction with many higher education leaders throughout the U.S., providing a deeper understanding of issues facing higher education. I pursued a broad educational objective in the Fellowship stated as: "To examine models of relationships between a flagship public research university and other state campuses operating within a mission-diverse system." Fellowship hosted at Texas A&M University with opportunity to observe and work with President R. Bowen Loftin and Provost Karan Watson in a placement at the College Station campus. I also assisted this team with other various projects including the analysis of enrollment growth for targeted areas, and the integration of newly acquired law and medical schools.