A message from the dean: welcome back
I love seeing back-to-school pictures that parents post on social media because they capture excitement and enthusiasm for learning. Some of these photos feature children taking their first steps into the academic world and others show students who are entering their final year. About this time last year, we snapped one of those photos of our son who was beginning his senior year in high school while our daughter emailed us a photo she took of herself preparing for her final year at the University of Kentucky. And now our son is a first-year student at the University of Louisville and our daughter is using her degree in civil engineering to improve water quality.
For those of you who are new to campus, welcome. For those who have been around awhile, welcome back! I enjoyed meeting friends and alumni during the quiet summer months, but I’ve missed the energy that you bring to campus. I love seeing you in the halls and offices, hearing the chatter of friends and colleagues, opportunities for spontaneous conversations. Campus comes alive because of you. Thank you for bringing that vitality back.
I was thrilled to join my colleagues in welcoming 300 new students to our college on the first day of classes. Three hundred! Although we are all still dealing with lingering fatigue from a pandemic, the energy students bring to campus is exhilarating. As I looked at that group, I thought of our son who is learning his way around a new campus and our daughter who is learning how to “adult.” Thinking of them intensified my appreciation for the work we do to help our students learn. Thank you for your commitment to them.
Welcome back!
New faces of faculty
There are new faculty members joining the College of Human Sciences and Education this fall. Learn a bit about them below, and join us in welcoming them to NDSU. We look forward to the impact they will make.
Brandon Foye
Title: Assistant professor of practice
Department: Health, nutrition and exercise sciences
Courses: Principles of Conditioning, Research in Physical Education and Sport, Advanced Coaching, Physical Education Curriculum
Research: Online physical education, teacher socialization
Hobbies: “True to my profession, I love being physically active. I love running, biking and hiking and playing tennis, softball and basketball.”
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Carmen Kho
Title: Assistant professor
Department: Human development and family science
Courses: Life Span Development, Parent-Child Relations
Research: “I apply a cultural-ecological framework to examine how cultural, family and other contextual influences intersect with socio-emotional development of children, adolescents and emerging adults. My research takes a normative development approach and examines developmental processes with careful consideration of contexts in which they take place (e.g., family, neighborhoods, immigrant receiving context) and the timescale in which these processes occur (e.g., moment-to-moment, day-to-day, across years).”
Hobbies/fun facts: “I love travelling, cooking, eating very spicy food and the color green.”
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Leanna McWood
Title: Assistant professor
Department: Human development and family science
Course: Adolescent Development
Research: Organized activity involvement, sleep, coping, and peer and family relationships
Hobby: Reading
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Nate Dicks
Title: Assistant professor
Department: Health, nutrition and exercise sciences
Courses: Exercise Testing and Prescription, Exercise Testing Laboratory and Physiological and Fitness Assessments in Exercise Science
Research: Athletic testing methods, athletic performance improvements and tactical professionals' occupational health and performance investigations
Hobby: “I enjoy running and completing marathons – I have run 30 of them. I competed on the National Guard Marathon Team for five years.”
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Natira Mullet
Title: Assistant professor
Department: Human development and family science
Course: Diversity and Multiculturalism in Individual and Family Life
Research: Examining intergenerational, cultural and familial protective factors to reduce interpersonal trauma and resulting substance use and mental health outcomes among marginalized communities
Hobbies: Painting, reading, crocheting and escape rooms
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Dr. Ron Werner-Wilson, Dean
College of Human Sciences and Education
Phone: 701-231-8211