Steve Light named Interim Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas DiLorenzo will be appointing Steve Light as UND’s Interim Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration (CoBPA). He will succeed Margaret Williams, who has been named Dean of the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University. Light will assume his duties fulltime with the CoBPA on April 19.

A professor of Political Science and Public Administration at UND since 2000, Light joined the Provost’s office as Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education in 2010, and in 2011, was named Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. From 2013-14, Light also served as Interim Dean of the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines.

Said Provost DiLorenzo, “Steve’s experience and leadership capabilities make him well qualified to lead the College forward. He brings a unique combination of external knowledge about the entire university and internal familiarity with the College and his faculty and staff colleagues.”

Light rejoins the CoBPA following an internal search that identified seven outstanding candidates. The Provost attended all of the presentations by the candidates and solicited feedback to help make his determination. DiLorenzo noted, “All of the presentations were excellent and it was difficult to select one individual.” The process helped to identify priorities for the future that include following through on current College initiatives, advancing the College’s mission,  and further aligning the College with the university’s strategic plan to meet the state’s needs and affirm UND’s status as the premier regional flagship.

The Provost asked Patrick O’Neill and Jason Jensen to continue in their roles as Associate Deans. In the coming months, a committee will be identified to begin the search for a permanent Dean, with the position expected to be filled no later than summer 2018.

“I’m thrilled and privileged by this opportunity to rejoin my faculty home in this new capacity,” Light said. “Great things are happening in the College. Our CoBPA family and friends—all of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community partners—are committed to keeping that momentum going. Working together, we’re going to build the future.”