Dear colleagues,
As we roll into the summer months, I want to first extend my gratitude to each of you for a successful academic year. This last year was not without challenges, but what I will remember most are the countless memories and valuable engagements with students, faculty, and staff throughout the year. The commencement programs from early May were the perfect capstone to celebrate the accomplishments of our nearly 1900 graduates. Our student commencement speakers, Olivia Nelson and Uyen Nguyen, both spoke eloquently of their time here at UMD and I encourage you to watch those videos if you have a moment. Thank you for your dedication to student success and to this campus.
Leadership Updates
This summer is a time of transition on multiple levels. President-Designate Cunningham is working closely with Interim President Ettinger and has started to engage with members of her senior leadership team. Here at UMD, Chancellor-Designate Nies and I have also had a chance to connect. As he mentioned in his message to campus last week, he visited campus and has started some early conversations with campus leaders. They both officially start on July 1.
Upon July 1, I will assume a new position as a special assistant to the president. In this role, I will continue to support the campus and system leadership transitions until my official retirement on August 7th. I am looking forward to being part of this pivotal moment, supporting the new leadership here at UMD and within the University of Minnesota System.
In consultation with Dr. Nies, I would like to provide a few updates on campus leadership positions. I am pleased to announce that Jeremy Leiferman has accepted the position of interim vice chancellor for student life upon Lisa Erwin’s retirement in early July. Jeremy, our current associate vice chancellor for student life, has been with UMD since he started as the director of housing and residence life in 2014. Under his leadership we have implemented gender inclusive housing, established living learning communities, and navigated the wild world of university housing during the pandemic. I am grateful for his willingness to step into this important leadership position and ensure continuity within our student life portfolio. We are still working through related impacts of this change within student life and the required support for their continued work with students.
I would like to congratulate Jeremy Youde, who has accepted a new position as the dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University. Jeremy originally joined UMD as an assistant professor of political science in 2008 and served as the department head for political science from July 2012 to January 2016, when he left to take a faculty position at Australian National University. In July 2019, he returned to UMD to become Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. During the last five years, he oversaw the merger between CLA and the School of Fine Arts; collaborated with his colleagues to create a new collegiate identity for the newly created College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; oversaw the creation of the CAHSS strategic plan; and worked with development to raise funds to support student internships and experiential educational opportunities. We are grateful for Dean Youde’s service and wish him the best in his new role. While his final date is pending, he will be with us until around the end of July.
Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR)
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Associate Professor Katie Schofield as the new UMD faculty athletic representative, effective July 1. This key position serves as the chief academic liaison between UMD and the Department of Athletics.
Dr. Schofield has been with the Department of Mechanical Engineering since 2015 and also serves as the director of the Master of Environmental Health and Safety program. She has been involved with the UMD athletics committee since 2020 and will do a great job in this important role and with our student athletes.
I would also like to thank Professor Steve Castleberry, professor of marketing and business ethics, for his outstanding service as the faculty athletic representative for the last ten years. Steve brought a true passion and dedication to this role and was a constant supporter of Bulldog athletics. He will be missed and we are grateful for his support.
Conclusion
In closing, I am looking forward to this summer and the opportunity for this campus to be energized by new leadership at both the system and campus levels. At the May Board of Regents meeting, I had a chance to present on strategic initiatives here at UMD and highlight some of our key distinctions. (If you are interested in seeing the presentation, the docket materials for Duluth start on page 265.) It is always an honor to represent UMD and speak about the ways in which we bring positive impacts to the U of M System and across Minnesota.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your continued support of UMD and our students,
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| Dave McMillan Interim Chancellor |
