Academic Leadership
Dorine Bennett
Dean, College of Business and Information Systems
Department
College of Business and Information Systems
Education
Ed.D., University of South Dakota
M.B.A., University of South Dakota
B.S., Dakota State University
Biography
Dr. Dorine Bennett is the Academic Dean of College of Business and Information Systems. She has been an active member of national and regional health information associations and has earned Fellowship status in the American Health Information Management Association. Prior to coming to DSU, she worked in the health information management field in long term care, community health, and acute care settings. Dr. Bennett has a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA), with an emphasis in Management of Information Systems. She also holds a PhD in Educational Administration, Adult and Higher Education.
Contact
Office Location: East Hall
Phone: 605-256-5165
Email
David DeJong
Dean of the College of Education
Department
College of Education
Contact
Office Location: Kennedy Center
Phone: 605-256-5177
Pat Engebretson
Dean, Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences
Department
The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences
Education
DSc. in Information Systems, Dakota State University
MS in Information Systems, Dakota State University
BS in Psychology, North Dakota State University
BS in Sociology, North Dakota State University
Biography
Dr. Pat Engebretson serves as the Dean of The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences. An alumnus of DSU, he holds a Doctor of Science in Information Assurance. He also spent several years as a DSU faculty member, teaching courses in computer science, networking, and cyber security. As Dean of the Beacom College, Dr. Engebretson creates an environment that fosters student growth and an atmosphere in which faculty and students are excited to teach, research, and learn. He has published many articles related to cyber security, and a book titled The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Made Easy. He lives in Madison with his wife, Lori, and their three daughters.
Contact
Office Location: Beacom Institute of Technology
Phone: 605-256-5838
Email
Richard Hanson
Assistant to the President-Special Projects
Department
President's Office
Biography
Dr. Richard Hanson serves as the Assistant to the President-Special Projects. Dr. Hanson is President Emeritus of Bemidji State University, President Emeritus of Northwest Technical College in Minnesota, former interim president of North Dakota State University, and former President of Waldorf College in Forest City, IA. He has served more than 12 years as a chief academic officer/provost and more than 20 years as a professor of child development and family science.
Dr. Hanson served many years as a consultant evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission. Providing leadership around NCAA (Division I and Division II) and NAIA athletics, including the athletic conference leadership.
In addition to leading the effort to develop a master Academic Plan at DSU, he's responsible for the DSU2025's strategic planning process. Dr. Hanson has worked with; the South Dakota Apprenticeship Network, the DSU Cyber Cync Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center (CCIEC), the South Dakota Partnership for Student Success (SDPaSS), and the Sioux Falls School District Computer Science Academy. He has also been involved with the #DSURising effort.
Contact
Office Location: Heston Hall
Email
Rebecca Hoey
Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs
Department
President's Office
Education
University of South Dakota, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
St. Mary's University of Minnesota, Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Wayne State College, Secondary Education
Biography
Dr. Rebecca Hoey is the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. She has a long history in higher education, demonstrating a progressive growth in higher education as an “academic intrapreneur” to produce outcomes that benefit both students and the institution.
Dr. Hoey’s experience includes serving as Dean of the Graduate School and Adult Learning at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. She was most recently the Associate Vice President for Academic Programming with the South Dakota Board of Regents.
She works to create opportunities for growth, build and sustain high-quality professional programs, nurture a strong faculty, and serve students at all levels.
Hoey is a graduate of Wayne State College with a BS in Education; she has a master’s degree in Education from St. Mary’s University (Minn.) - Winona campus; and earned an EdD from USD in curriculum and instruction.
Contact
Office Location: Heston Hall
Phone: (605) 256-5136
Email
Mark Hawkes
Dean, Graduate Studies/Professor
Department
Graduate Office
Education
Ph.D., Syracuse University
M.S., Brigham Young University
B.S., Brigham Young University
Biography
Dr. Mark Hawkes is Dean of Graduate Studies and the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Dakota State University. He is also a Professor of Instructional Technology. Previous positions were held at the Evaluation and Policy Information Center of the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory in Chicago and the Center for Instructional Development at Syracuse University where he also received a PhD. Dr. Hawkes has led and participated in a number of district and statewide studies and evaluations of educational technology, fueling his research interests in the outcomes of educational technology application on student learning and teacher professional development. Additional research is also applied to understand optimal instructional design in distributed learning environments. He resides in Madison with his wife Joy and their family.
Contact
Office Location: Kennedy Center
Phone: 605-256-5274
Email
David Kenley
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Education
PhD., History, University of Hawaii
Biography
Dr. David Kenley is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Cyber Leadership and Intelligence at Dakota State University. With a PhD in Chinese History, he has published four books and numerous journal articles. Previously at Elizabethtown College (PA) and Marshall University (WV), Dr. Kenley joined the DSU community in 2020. He has a successful record of program innovation, international engagement, grant writing, faculty development, strategic planning, online instruction, and many other critical areas of higher education. Recognizing these accomplishments, he has been asked to speak and provide professional consultations throughout the US and in many countries around the world. Dr. Kenley is fluent in Chinese and committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and international understanding. He and his wife live in Madison, South Dakota.
Contact
Office Location: Beadle Hall
Phone: (605) 256-5270
Email