Chris Nelson is lone finalist for School of Graduate Studies deanship

Open candidate forum for UND Associate Professor Nelson will take place in person and via Zoom on April 13

The lone finalist for the School of Graduate Studies Deanship has been invited for on-campus interviews.

An open candidate forum for Chris Nelson, associate dean of the UND School of Graduate Studies (SGS) who has served as the head of the SGS since the previous Dean’s retirement in 2019, is set for 12:10 p.m.-1:10 p.m., on Wednesday, April 13, in Room #5 of the Education building on campus.  A Zoom link also is available, along with Nelson’s resume/CVs, on the SGS dean search website.

The following is Dr. Nelson’s biographical information:

Chris Nelson

An Associate Professor, Dr. Chris Nelson earned his doctorate in English from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2002 and served as Graduate Director of UND’s PhD and MA programs in English for 6 years.  Beginning as an SGS Faculty Fellow in 2017, Dr. Nelson has developed and implemented: annual 3MT competitions and Graduate Research Achievement Day (GRAD), an extensive graduate student professional development workshop series, entrance/exit surveys and data dashboards, and innovative degree structures leading to 25 Accelerated Bachelor’s/Master’s and 6 Professional Science Master’s degrees.

Under Dr. Nelson’s leadership, UND’s SGS has thrived, with record-setting graduate enrollment in each of the last five semesters. He has worked to build a culture of support for graduate students with attention to mental health, diversity and inclusion, and mentoring best practices.  Dr. Nelson has raised UND’s national profile through his work with the Council of Graduate Schools and to secure UND’s participation in the first wave of 10 institutions implementing the award-winning Accelerate to Industry (A2i) initiative to prepare graduate students for professional careers. In under 2 years, he has created strong relationships with city and state government and over 20 local and national employers, placed multiple interns, and secured funding partners.

Dr. Nelson has also played a significant role in advancing research by writing grants, stakeholder reports, and white papers, especially in UND’s signature areas of national security and autonomous systems. Dr. Nelson is a passionate advocate for graduate students and graduate education who is committed to continuing to grow the SGS as a driver of UND’s excellence and impact as a leading flagship research university.