Contacts: Mike Rush, Executive Director and CEO

mike.rush@sdbor.edu

Janelle Toman, Director of Communications

Janelle.toman@sdbor.edu

Telephone: (605) 773-3455

Fax: (605) 773-5320

www.sdbor.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Monday, October 30, 2017

Four Finalists Named for School of Mines Presidency

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents announced today four candidates who are finalists to become the next president at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

Regent John Bastian, who chairs the presidential search process, said the finalists will be on campus in Rapid City this week (Nov. 1-2) for scheduled meetings with constituents and regents.

The finalists, by alphabetical order, are:

• Timothy J. Collins, Baltimore, Md., chief government relations officer, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. At Johns Hopkins, Collins heads up activities across a $1.5 billion portfolio at the nation’s largest university-affiliated research center. The laboratory is engaged in national and global research in the areas of national security and space. Collins also chairs two programs with more than 380 graduate students in the Whiting School of Engineering. Before joining Johns Hopkins in 2005, Collins served as a U.S. Air Force senior officer, with command and staff experience in Asia and the U.S. He holds a doctorate in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University in Illinois. He has master’s degrees from the National Defense University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a bachelor’s degree from the United States Air Force Academy, and an associate degree from Georgia Military College.

• Robert Marley, Rolla, Mo., provost and executive vice chancellor, Missouri University of Science and Technology. Since 2014, Marley has had responsibility as the chief academic officer at Missouri S&T for overseeing $145 million in general revenue and research expenditures. He currently leads an aggressive strategic plan integration with new system-wide planning efforts at S&T. He also holds rank as professor in the university’s Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. He previously served in teaching and leadership positions at Montana State University for 24 years, including 12 years as dean and director of the College of Engineering and the Engineering Experiment Station. He holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, a master’s degree in engineering management science, and a bachelor’s degree in general science, all from Wichita State University in Kansas.

• James (Jim) Rankin, Fayetteville, Ark., vice-provost for research and economic development, University of Arkansas. Under Rankin’s leadership, the University of Arkansas has generated more than 50 start-up companies and significantly increased annual external funding to $103 million. He led efforts to develop the institution’s first strategic plan in research and economic development, instituted several faculty recognition programs, and developed an expedited industry contracting process. Previously at Ohio University, Rankin was interim vice president for research, associate dean, professor of electrical engineering, and director of the Avionics Engineering Center. He has also been a professor at St. Cloud State University and an engineer at Rockwell-Collins. Rankin’s personal research has been funded by NASA and FAA grants. His Ph.D. and master’s degrees in electrical engineering were earned at Iowa State University. He also holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

• Anthony J. Vizzini, Wichita, Kan., provost and senior vice president, Wichita State University. At Wichita State since 2013, Vizzini has led the work of six academic colleges, an honors college, graduate school, the libraries, and the Institute of Interdisciplinary Creativity, all serving a student body of over 15,000. His previous academic experience includes dean and professor in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University, department head and professor of aerospace engineering at Mississippi State University, and associate and assistant professor and founding director of the Composites Research Laboratory, all at the University of Maryland. He holds Ph.D., master’s, and bachelor degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with a bachelor degree in mathematics from MIT.

Copies of the finalists’ cover letters and professional vitae are posted online at https://www.sdsmt.edu/PresidentSearch/. During their time on campus, the candidates will meet with faculty, students, administrative and professional staff, civil service employees, and representatives of SDSM&T Foundation, alumni, and the Rapid City community.  The Board of Regents will also meet in executive session with each of the finalists and with the campus representatives of the search committee.  No action will be taken at these meetings.

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