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College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines dean search begins

Search committee named; will be chaired by UND Aerospace Dean Robert Kraus

UND archival image.

UND Aerospace Dean Robert Kraus will chair a national search for the next dean of the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines.

The announcement was made by Eric Link, UND provost and vice president for academic affairs. He expects to name the new dean by July 1, 2022.

Diana Kostrzewski has served as interim dean of the College since Jan. 1, 2019.

“I would like to extend my profound thanks to Dean Kraus for his leadership and to all the members of the committee whose unique perspectives will be vital as we conduct this national search,” Link said. “We will work throughout the process to ensure stakeholder groups have opportunities to provide feedback. I look forward to working with everyone involved as we select the next dean of the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines at UND.”

College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines Search Committee

  • Robert Kraus, dean, John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and committee chair
  • James Sperle, clinical associate professor and nurse anesthesia program director, Department of Nursing
  • Tracy Evanson, professor and director of Ph.D. program in nursing, Department of Nursing
  • Doris Wang, clinical assistant professor and dietetics program director, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
  • Isaac Karikari, assistant professor and master of social work program director, Department of Social Work
  • Barb Anderson, RAIN program director, CNPD
  • Angie Novak, clinical placement manager, Department of Nursing
  • Robyn Bancroft, director, office of student services, Department of Nursing
  • Debbie Swanson, director, Grand Forks Public Health Department
  • Janice Hamscher, executive vice president and chief nursing officer, Altru Health System
  • Jane Christianson, president, North Dakota Board of Nursing
  • Sigrid Letcher, associate vice president of development and campaign coordinator, UND Alumni Association & Foundation
  • Tanya Trotter, CNPD student representative

The committee will be assisted by Harris Search Associates.

About Dean Robert Kraus:

Robert Kraus

Robert Kraus is an experienced pilot, aerospace administrator and educator, and retired Air Force colonel. He assumed the deanship of UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences on Jan. 15 of this year.

He graduated from the Air Force Academy with a degree in aeronautical engineering, earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology, and his Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

As chief scientist and director of research at the Air Force Academy, Kraus oversaw the execution of the Academy’s $60M-plus research programs, coordinated the activities of 21 research centers and institutes, and leveraged funding from more than 150 government and industry partners. As flight test consultant for Golden Arm Associates in Henderson, Nev., Kraus trained the company that was tasked with testing the Air Force’s remotely piloted aircraft. And as assistant professor of aeronautics and director of flight testing at the Air Force Academy, Kraus consistently was rated in the top 10 percent of all faculty by students. He was selected as the Aeronautics Outstanding Academy Educator (#1 of 22) in 2003-04.

About the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines

The UND College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines (CNPD) offers undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare students in nursing, social work, and nutrition and dietetics.

Undergraduate programs include nursing, nutrition & dietetics, and social work. Graduate programs include family nurse practitioner, psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, nurse anesthesia, and social work. UND’s nursing graduates consistently exceed the national pass rate for NCLEX board exams, and graduates are heavily recruited.

For more than 110 years, the mission of the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines has been to prepare future leaders, to advance human well-being and improve quality of life for diverse populations, with an emphasis on rural communities in North Dakota, the region and beyond, through the provision of high-quality innovative interprofessional education, research and service.