Nov 22
Jun 22, 2020
Lake Superior State University Appoints Two New Deans
Lake Superior State University’s new Strategic Plan is titled Superior Education. Superior Experience. Superior You. That new theme carries throughout the institution but especially relevant to the faculty and staff that are responsible for achieving the goals and priorities of the new plan. To achieve the priorities and goals of the new plan, two new deans have been appointed as of June 1, 2020. Dr. Kathy Berchem will serve as Interim Dean of the College of Health and Behavior and Dr. Barb Light will serve as Interim Dean of the College of Criminal Justice and Emergency Responders.
Dr. Light has served as the Dean of the College of Education and Liberal Arts for the past year and will continue in this role, taking on the new position as Interim Dean of the College of Criminal Justice and Emergency Responders. Dr. Light is very passionate about superior teaching and superior learning and will continue those expectations to her new interim role with the tools to help everyone meet those expectations.
“During the past year, Dr. Light has done an excellent job as Dean of the College of Education and Liberal Arts. I am confident that she will be highly effective in working with the faculty in the College of Criminal Justice and Emergency Responders,” stated Dr. Lynn Gillette, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Dr. Light has spent 20 years as a K-12 educator, she is able to identify with the desire and mission to serve others. The serving and protecting of others is an important aspect of criminal justice, emergency medicine, and fire science careers. Dr. Light is looking forward to serving the students and faculty in her newly assigned college to help make their experience at Lake State the best it can be.
“We really have something special at LSSU. The tremendous faculty are experts in their fields and care so much about sharing their expertise and enthusiasm about learning with students. The students often have many commitments like balancing a job or raising kids in addition to taking classes and they show their dedication daily to their course work and other LSSU activities. The people make LSSU the special place it is,” stated Dr. Barb Light.
Dr. Kathy Bercham has served as the Chair of the School of Nursing since 2017 and is an outstanding and highly respected faculty member at LSSU. “There are so many unique ideas and potential to explore in working with the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Health and Behavior. I look forward to working with the team to create additional learning opportunities for our students,” stated Dr. Bercham.
“Dr. Berchem has been an outstanding faculty member for many years and is well-respected across campus. She has served as Chair of the School of Nursing since 2017. She is prepared to be an excellent Dean,” stated Dr. Lynn Gillette, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs.
The goal of providing a Superior Education allows Dr. Bercham to focus on opening up pathways for faculty and students to provide them the tools and opportunities that they need to continue to excel in their areas. Building relationships with the faculty, staff, and students in the College of Health & Behavior will allow Dr. Bercham to help the College continue to grow.
“LSSU is such a special place – over my 15 years here I’ve had the great pleasure of educating, mentoring, and collaborating with some great people that exemplify what it means to be a Laker. I am honored to be a part of a team that exemplifies our motto Superior Education, Superior Experience, Superior You,” stated Dr. Kathy Bercham.
Dr. Rodney Hanley, President of LSSU, stated, “I have complete confidence in both new appointments, knowing that they will provide excellent direction for the Colleges to continue on our path of providing Superior Education.”
Lake Superior State University is one of Michigan’s most affordable public universities with One-Rate at Lake State tuition for all. Surrounded by three Great Lakes, LSSU is an unsurpassed location for research, focusing on real-world experiences. Well known for programs such as fisheries and wildlife management, engineering, nursing, criminal justice, and fire science; Lake State is also leading the way with innovative new programs, including cannabis chemistry, cannabis business and robotics engineering. For more information, visit LSSU.edu.
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