Board of Higher Education declines to name interim president for DIckinson State University

(North Dakota Monitor) – The State Board of Higher Education voted to keep Ty Orton as acting president of Dickinson State University for at least another 30 days as the board kicks off its search for a permanent president.

Originally, the board was expected to select an interim president during its Tuesday meeting after a search committee named four finalists for the seat last week.

Board Chair Tim Mihalick said the group decided in executive session against bringing in an interim leader in hopes that will help the school find a final replacement sooner. Board members shared very little about the reason for the decision during the public portion of the meeting.

Previous timelines proposed by the board estimated the pick for permanent president would be announced next March, with a new president brought on board in July.

“We just felt like we need to get some stability as quickly as we can,” Mihalick told the North Dakota Monitor.

Orton, who is executive director of the Dickinson State University Heritage Foundation, has served as acting president since Easton left Aug. 2. Easton announced his departure in July following the mass resignations of the school’s nursing faculty.

Thirty-seven people threw their hat in the ring to fill the seat after Easton stepped down this summer.

The board on Tuesday tapped North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott and State Board of Higher Education member Danita Bye to sit on the search committee for a permanent president.

The search committee will also include representatives from the Dickinson community, as well as staff and faculty, Mihalick said.

The board also authorized Hagerott to hire a consultant to assist in the search. The estimated cost of the contract, to be paid by Dickinson State University, is $100,000.

Dickinson State University was the only campus in the North Dakota University System to report a drop in fall enrollment, according to numbers released Tuesday. The overall headcount for fall is 1,410 students, a 3% drop from last year’s headcount of 1,453. The full-time equivalent enrollment held steady at 1,120 students.