| Paula M. Lutz, Dean Paula Lutz serves as the Dean of the College of Letters and Science and is a professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. Before coming to MSU in 2007, Paula was a professor and administrator at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR; now Missouri University of Science and Technology). She spent twenty years on the faculty in Biological Sciences there, winning more than a dozen outstanding teaching and faculty excellence awards. Her administrative career on that campus included Associate Dean for Graduate Affairs and Research, Chair of Biological Sciences, and then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (UMR’s first woman dean). She has a long-standing interest in encouraging diversity in STEM disciplines. She helped to create a Women’s Leadership Institute and start UMR’s Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) program. She also participated in the African–American Recruitment and Retention Committee and the Minority Science and Engineering Program. As CLS dean at MSU, she has maintained her interest in mentoring, serving on the MSU ADVANCE grant advisory committee, establishing the New Faculty Forum for first and second year faculty members, and helping to create DEAL (Developing Excellence in Academic Leaders), a new leadership development program. She has actively supported the recruitment and retention of Native American students at MSU, chairing the Native American Education Advisory Board and supporting its agenda. The NAEAB has created a new orientation session focused on Native American students, increased tutoring and counseling support and reached out to K-12 teachers in rural and reservation schools. She is currently the P.I. on MSU’s NIH ‘Bridges to the Baccalaureate’ grant which encourages students at Tribal Colleges to pursue four-year degrees in biomedical fields. She serves on the Board of the national Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences, and has led the CCAS New Deans Seminar. Paula’s Ph.D. is from Duke University in Microbiology and Immunology with research interests in immunotoxicology. She has been PI on NIH RO1 grants to investigate the effects of lead on children’s immune systems (large collaborative, interdisciplinary projects) and in addition to the NIH Bridges grant at MSU, currently serves as PI on an NIH C06 construction grant to renovate Cooley Labs ($14.9M). |
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| Melody Zajdel, Associate Dean for Student and Faculty Development Associate Dean Melody Zajdel, an Associate Professor of English, received her M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State, and her B.A. from Baldwin-Wallace College. She joined the MSU faculty in 1979. A committed teacher, Dr. Zajdel has won numerous teaching awards (including the Anna K. Fridley Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Teaching Award, Mortar Board Professor of the Month, and selection as an Influential Educator), as well as the Betty Coffey award for work on women's equity on campus, and recognition by the Montana Committee for the Humanities as a Humanist Scholar for her work in public outreach. Dr. Zajdel has worked on several program and curriculum initiatives in the university, including the Honors program, the Women's Studies minor, the Women's Center, Reinventing the CORE and the WEEA project. Her most recent research focuses on selected Midwestern writers. She has served as a member of MSU's Faculty Council, Faculty Affairs Committee, University Promotion and Tenure Committee, Presidential Scholars Selection Committee and other faculty/student affairs committees. She is on the Executive Board of the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature and has held state, regional and national positions in organizations such as the Montana Association of Teachers of English and Language Arts and the Northwest and National Women's Studies Associations. |
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| Sue Monahan, Associate Dean for Program and Curricular Development Associate Dean Sue Monahan, an Associate Professor of Sociology, earned her doctorate and master's in sociology from Stanford University. Her bachelor's degree is from Swarthmore College in sociology/anthropology and economics. An organizational sociologist, Monahan's research focuses on how organizational structure shapes action on the ground. Her current work is supported by Montana INBRE (or IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence) and examines the interrelationships among organizational structure, community characteristics and patient outcomes in hospitals. Monahan has been a faculty member at MSU since 1995, and served as chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 2005 through 2009. She has taught a range of courses at MSU, including CORE 2.0 courses in the areas of diversity and social science, upper division sociology courses, research-based capstone courses, and interdisciplinary courses including CLS 101 and CLS 201. She also co-teaches a liberal studies seminar on science and religion with a colleague from the College of Agriculture.Monahan also has been involved in a number of institutional initiatives. She was one of the original co-PI's (principal investigators) of MSU's National Science Foundation-funded ADVANCE Leadership Award,and she was also integrally involved in the development and implementation of CORE 2.0. |
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| Mindy Brown, Director of Finance and Administration Mindy Brown has degrees in natural resources from Cornell University (B.S.) and natural resource management and policy from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (M.S.). She joined the Dean’s office in 2009 after working in both the Departments of Microbiology and Earth Sciences at MSU. She is responsible for the fiscal management of the college, including its fifteen departments and various centers. |
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| Sarah Miller, Program and Fiscal Manager Sarah "Captain Awesome" Miller has been working at Montana State University since 2003 and with the Dean’s Office since 2007. She has her B.A. in history with a minor in English and a Master’s of Public Administration, both from MSU. Sarah assists with the fiscal management of the college, manages special projects for Dean Lutz, and coordinates the promotion and tenure process for the college. |
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| Jennifer Storment, Administrative and Student Support Coordinator Jennifer has been working at MSU in various capacities since 2004 and more recently with the Dean’s Office in 2012. She received her B.S. in Family and Consumer Sciences, Health and Human Development with an option in Family Sciences from MSU in 2008. Jennifer helps with general administration and budget in addition to assisting Associate Deans, Melody Zajdel and Sue Monahan. She also serves as the office liaison with the Foundation/Development Officers and will help coordinate the college’s student events such as orientation, MSU Fridays and commencement. |
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| Erica Howe Dungan, Course and Program Manager Erica Howe Dungan joined the Dean’s Office in 2010 as the Course and Program Manager. She received her B.A. in French with a minor in art history and an honors degree from MSU, and her M.A. in art history from Brown University. Erica manages theL&S seminar for first-year students, CLS 101 Knowledge and Community, as well as other college initiatives, including the Women’s and Gender Studies program. Before joining the Dean’s Office, Erica was the Gallery Director for the School of Art at MSU and an adjunct instructor of art history. |
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| Jody Sanford, Communications Specialist Jody Sanford has a B.A. degree in English and political science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. degree in resource development from Michigan State University. She joined the Dean's office in 2008. She directs communication among the college's fifteen departments, as well as between the college, the wider university, and college alumni and donors. Jody is the editor of Confluence, the college's annual magazine, manages the L&S website, and produces other College-related brochures and publications. |
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| Gary Bummer, Information Systems Manager A native of Billings, Montana, Gary Bummer graduated from MSU in 1980 with a B.S. in computer science. Before joining the College of Letters and Science, he served as a Unix analyst and systems administrator for MSU’s Information Technology Center from 1980 to 1998. His myriad responsibilities include desktop support coordination and problem solving for L&S faculty and staff, administrative systems support, and long-range planning for the college’s hardware and software needs. |
Updated: 04/11/2012 |
