May 29, 2013
So what exactly does a college dean do? Perhaps not the question you pondered as you hurried to class or struggled to finish the term paper that you should’ve started last week. Although they may go unnoticed, Winona State’s five academic deans play an important role in providing vision and direction to the colleges they lead. So Currents asked a few questions to find out: just what does a dean at Winona State do?
1. Did you foresee yourself as a dean?
2. What’s a dean’s most important role?
3. Name one or two exciting things going on in your college.
4. Colleges award many of our scholarships. What would an ideal scholarship look like?
JeEll Weiss Bjorke
Interim Dean, College of Business
Background: Business law professor, director of WSU Small Business Development, chair of Business Administration Department before elevation to interim dean this year.
1. No, administrative appointments have mostly been concurrent with my teaching responsibilities. Moving between the two provides opportunities to enjoy the best of both worlds.
2. It’s to facilitate an environment in which high quality learning is achieved through a commitment to academic excellence. Our goals are to maintain faculty qualifications and continuously improve teaching effectiveness and student learning.
3. We hope to create innovative and interactive academic space as early as this fall with a focus group/sales lab and finance lab in Somsen Hall.
4. It would recognize academic achievement, leadership, and good citizenry.
