A New Dean for the College of Business and Technology at UNK

What attracted you to the central Nebraska area and UNK?

UNK and specifically CBT has a blend of programs that actually fits quite nicely with my set of business and educational experiences and goals. I pursued a career in higher education after years of being on the business side. I love to teach, interact and see the results. Finally, I’m from South Dakota and my wife is from Nebraska, so this move gets us closer to family – a nice bonus!

 What is currently on your playlist?

Recently, in the car, I have been listening to mostly classic rock with a bit of classic and current country thrown into the mix. In the office, I tend to listen to instrumental music to help me focus; usually smooth jazz or classical.

 Describe your most significant professional accomplishment?

As the Associate Dean of the Monfort College of Business at Northern Colorado University, we were the first and only business school recognized for the Malcom Baldric National Quality Award. This award put us on the map and it was very rewarding because of how well our team pulled together in the process. 

  What famous historical figure or iconic person would you like to have dinner with and why?

Abraham Lincoln comes to mind. He certainly dealt with adversity, but led our country and helped ultimately pull it together through some of our most challenging days.

 What are you most proud of?

I’m very proud of my family. My wife and I make a great team and our kids are very good young men. I’m also very proud of the difference I’ve made in the lives of many of my students – they have made my life better as well. 

Tell us about your role as a leader in the Kearney community?

I see my role as a conduit to help others succeed. I will build on my current contacts by actively networking. I hope to help people find ways to be successful in ways such as helping an employer find an intern or an investor to support a program or capital expenditure.

 What makes you similar to a student at UNK?

I identify quite well with the UNK students as my three brothers and I were first-generation students, all earning bachelors degrees and two of us graduate degrees. A friend of mine coined a term (maybe it was someone else) – he liked to say that he sought to hire “PHDs” – that is, graduates that were Poor, Hungry, and Driven. I guess that was me even before graduate school.

What do you do for relaxation?

I love the outdoors, so pretty much anything outside. I used to be an avid golfer and hope to do more of that again. We’ve already done some kayaking at Cottonmill and we’ve done our share of biking on the expansive Kearney trail system.

 What are you looking forward to the most as the Dean of CBT?

I’m looking forward to working with the faculty, staff, and students to build on the successes CBT has already had. CBT has a very diverse set of offerings, all with substantial quality as evidenced by several accreditations, but also by our impressive placement rates – 100% in many areas! But our enrollments are lagging, really campus wide, so we need to improve those numbers if we’re going to improve and flourish. We also have the relatively new Cyber Systems Department which brings much promise for CBT and UNK. I plan to work with faculty to find ways to build unique, perhaps interdisciplinary, programs that can attract students to UNK as a first choice institution. I hope to work with donors and investors to find opportunities they can support so that our resources align with our goals. First class programs require first class resources – that means faculty, but also students and facilities. My hope is that several years from now I can look back and see a variety of tangible achievements that resulted from our efforts.