Academic Leadership
Richard Hanson
Assistant to President - Special Projects
Department
President's Office
Biography
Dr. Richard Hanson serves as the Assistant to 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 and has provided leadership around NCAA (Division I and Division II) and NAIA athletics including athletic conference leadership.
In addition to leading the effort to develop a Master Academic Plan at Dakota State, he has responsibility for DSU2025, the university strategic planning process. He has worked within 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 DSU RISING! effort at Dakota State University. Dr. Hanson and his wife, Dianne, have three grown daughters and five grandchildren.
Contact
Office Location: Heston Hall
Email
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 is an active member of national and regional health information management 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: 605-256-5176
Email
Judy Dittman
Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences / Title III Director
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Education
Ph.D., University of Iowa
M.S., South Dakota State University
B.S., Black Hills State University
Biography
Dr. Judy Dittman is the Interim Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences. She has served in a variety of positions including Provost, Associate Provost, Dean for the College of Education, Director of Athletics, originator and Director of the DSU Wellness Center, Assessment Committee Chair, Coordinator for the Secondary Education Coordinating Committee, and Faculty Senate Chair. Her teaching background is as diverse as her management positions having taught a number of introductory and methodology courses for physical education and exercise science and served as supervisor for physical education student teachers. In addition to the administrative and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Dittman also coached multiple sports including basketball, softball, and track and field.
Contact
Office Location: Beadle Hall
Phone: 605-256-5270
Email
Mark Hawkes
Dean, Graduate Studies/ Professor / CTL Director
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 Ph.D. Mark 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. Mark resides in Madison with his wife Joy and their five children.
Contact
Office Location: Kennedy Center
Phone: 605-256-5274
Email
Crystal Pauli
Dean, College of Education
Department
College of Education
Education
Ph.D., Capella University
Ed.S., Minnesota State University-Moorhead
M.S., Northern State University
B.A., Dakota Wesleyan University
Biography
Dr. Crystal Pauli is the Dean of the College of Education and served as Director of Field Services for 13 years and special education faculty for two years prior to becoming the Dean in 2016. Before coming to DSU, Dr. Pauli was a Child Study Coordinator for the SW/WC Service Cooperative in Minnesota, a special education teacher in Minnesota, and an elementary teacher in South Dakota. Dr. Pauli is a member of the Board of Regents Education Discipline Council, South Dakota Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, Delta Kappa Gamma, Catholic Daughters of the Americas, VFW Auxiliary, DAV Auxiliary, and American Association of University Women. Dr. Pauli is involved in teacher education accreditation at the local, state, and national levels.
Contact
Office Location: Kennedy Center
Phone: 605-256-5096
Email