NDSU announced 26 faculty members have been awarded promotions and 23 faculty members have received tenure, effective with the 2012-13 academic year. The faculty will be honored as part of a campuswide celebration to be held in early fall.

Tenure was granted by the State Board of Higher Education at its May 16 meeting. Promotions were recommended by NDSU Provost Bruce Rafert and approved by President Dean L. Bresciani. Promotion acknowledges faculty members for professional competence and service to NDSU.

“Tenure is affirmation of a faculty member’s excellence and potential long-term value to NDSU and the state as evidenced by professional performance and growth and provides the expectation of continued employment,” Rafert said. “The group of faculty we are recognizing this year is among the strongest I’ve seen in my entire career.”

Faculty who have been promoted and/or received tenure include:

College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources

• Mark Boetel, promoted to professor
• Janet Knodel, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Gregory McKee, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Scott Pryor, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Charles Stoltenow, promoted to professor 

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Dennis Cooley, promoted to professor
• Kristi Groberg, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Kent Kapplinger, promoted to professor
• Michael Strand, associate professor, awarded tenure 

College of Business

• Margaret Andersen, associate professor, awarded tenure
• Bonnie Klamm, promoted to professor
• Wei Zhang, associate professor, awarded tenure 

College of Engineering and Architecture

• Eric Asa, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Michael Christenson, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Sivapalan Gajan, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Zhili Gao, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Sumathy Krishnan, awarded tenure and promoted to professor
• Kathleen Pepple, assistant professor, awarded tenure

College of Human Development and Education

• Julie Garden-Robinson, promoted to professor
• Brenda Hall, associate professor, awarded tenure
• Thomas Hall, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Roy Brent Young, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor

College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences

• Steven Qian, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Amy Werremeyer, promoted to associate professor

College of Science and Mathematics

• Clayton Hilmert, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Eric Hobbie, professor, awarded tenure
• Sivaguru Jayaraman, associate professor, awarded tenure
• Jun Kong, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Lisa Montplaisir, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Seth Rasmussen, promoted to professor
• Sean Sather-Wagstaff, awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor

Faculty earn promotion and/or tenure after a lengthy probationary period and a peer review. The review process and procedures are rigorous, and successful candidates undergo careful scrutiny and must demonstrate to their peers and the administration that they have met high standards of performance. In order to be promoted and/or tenured, faculty members are reviewed at department, college and university levels in recognition of the importance of institutional purposes and priorities.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.