From the Dean: Some transition details
As the day approaches when I’ll turn over my administrative duties as Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of your School of Medicine and Health Sciences to incoming Dean Marjorie Jenkins, President Armacost, Dr. Jenkins, and I have had any number of conversations to ensure that the changeover is as seamless and smooth as possible. It is important to emphasize that President Armacost and I have experience with such a transition, as I was the Interim President of UND in 2020 when Andy was selected as president. We worked together in the months preceding the actual (formal) changeover date of June 1, 2020. Marjorie and I are doing the same thing now, and we’ve met multiple times (virtually and in person) since she was named. I anticipate a similarly smooth transition, with the official changeover date being Dec. 1, 2024. Furthermore, Dr. Jenkins has asked me to be available to meet with her after the changeover so that we can continue to discuss SMHS issues as appropriate, especially with the next legislative session ready to start in Bismarck on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025.
During the month of December, Dean Jenkins will be functioning remotely for much of the month, but she plans to be physically here starting on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, and thereafter. That said, she will be in-state between Dec. 2 and 4 to attend the reception in Bismarck that UND holds for state legislators in conjunction with the legislature’s Organizational Session that takes place from Dec. 2-4. This will also give her a chance to participate in the next session of the SMHS Advisory Council, scheduled to take place on the morning of Dec. 3, and meet some of you at our holiday party with the Bismarck campus.
As of Nov. 30, I will step down from the VP/Dean roles and return to the faculty as a tenured member. While I will be available to assist Dean Jenkins as she might request, I plan to have plenty to keep me busy as a faculty member. I’ve added a few new gigs to my faculty responsibilities, and I hope to write a few manuscripts that so far exist only in my brain! I’ll be joining a number of other long-time UND SMHS employees who recently have relinquished their administrative roles, including Dr. Jon Allen and the soon-to-be retired Brad Gibbens. Believe me, I’ve chatted with both colleagues as to our similar decisions to relinquish our administrative roles; in both Jon’s and Brad’s cases, they decided to retire while I “merely” plan to step down as dean!
One of the key pieces of advice that I’ve received is to keep busy and fill in the time void with other activities. I’ve taken that advice to heart, and more time traveling and visiting with our grandkids certainly is part of the plan. I’ve been a practicing physician and cardiologist for half a century, and I’m not quite ready to give that up yet; I saw a full slate of patients in the clinic this past Monday, and I continue to feel fulfilled by that experience.
So, more details will follow soon. As mentioned, I’ve met with Dean Jenkins several times since she was named, and I think that she is ideally suited for the job. She has a lot of experience in leadership roles and had been a dean for five years before becoming a candidate here. I’m confident that she will continue to build on the amazing foundation that you, the faculty, staff, and students of the UND SMHS, have built here. I am quite sure that it will be onward and upward as far as the trajectory of the School, and I’m honored and gratified to have been part of that growth path so far. I can hardly wait to see what happens in the next chapter!
Joshua Wynne, MD, MBA, MPH
Vice President for Health Affairs, UND
Dean, UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences
