Dec. 19—GRAND FORKS — Ryan Adams has been named interim dean for UND’s College of Engineering and Mines. Adams, a professor and associate dean of national security, has worked for the college for six years, a release says.
“I’m grateful to Dr. Adams for his willingness to serve as interim dean for the College of Engineering & Mines,” said UND Provost Eric Link in a statement. “He brings experience, vision and a desire to serve the students, staff and faculty of the College during this time of transition.
“The College of Engineering & Mines has seen tremendous growth in the past few years. Dr. Adams will provide great leadership as the College conducts a national search for its next dean.”
Adams will assume his new role on Jan. 2, and will continue until a permanent dean is in place. The position was left vacant in November, when former Dean Brian Tande was
selected as the new president
of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
The College of Engineering and Mines search committee is being chaired by Brad Rundquist, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and will be assisted by Academic Search, an executive search firm. The next permanent dean is expected to be named by or around July 1, the release says.
In the meantime, “I am so excited to step into this role at such a dynamic time,” Adams said in a statement. “The college is expanding its collaborations with more of our stakeholders on a variety of initiatives such as the new STEM building, the National Security Initiative, and statewide use of artificial intelligence.
“The college’s new research centers continue to expand their activities with increasing numbers of students and partners, and our academic programs are showing strong growth with increased impact. This is a great time for the College of Engineering and Mines.”
Adams as served as the associate dean for national security since 2022. In coordination with UND’s Division of Research and Economic Development, Adams has helped bolster funding and research in areas related to national security, including funding from the Department of Defense and the Test Resource Management Center, according to the release.
He received his Ph.D in electrical engineering at the University of Idaho, and held academic appointments at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte prior to coming to UND as a professor of electrical engineering in 2019. He also served as a program manager and development engineer for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. As an active-duty member of the Air Force, he was a program manager with the Space and Missile Systems Center and an aircraft maintenance technician.