Colorado State University hires new deans for two academic colleges
Two of the eight colleges at Colorado State University will have new deans starting Aug. 1.
Kjerstin Thorson has been hired as dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Carolyn Lawrence-Dill has been hired as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. CSU will have women deans overseeing six of its eight colleges this fall.
Both new deans are coming to CSU from land-grant institutions in other states and were hired earlier this month, school officials said. CSU, established in 1870, and other land-grant institutions across the country were first established through the Morrill Act of 1862 and later expanded through additional acts of Congress to provide equal access to education for working-class citizens.
Thorson comes to CSU from Michigan State, where she served as associate dean for strategic initiatives in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, according to Source, an online publication of CSU’s Marketing and Communications team. She previously was an assistant professor in communication and journalism at the University of Southern California, where she served as research director for is Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center.
Thorson earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Macalester College in Minnesota, master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and doctoral degree in mass communications with a minor in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Her research has focused on digital platforms and their role in our civic lives, especially among youth and young adults.
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She replaces Ben Withers, who left CSU in February to become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University.
“She is a strong advocate for the power of a liberal arts degree and how social sciences can play a leading role in moving the needle on the biggest issues of our time,” CSU President Amy Parsons told Source. “Her expertise and passion for civic engagement will also continue to build on the important foundation at CSU of strengthening our democracy, in alignment with our land-grant mission.”
Lawrence-Dill has spent the past 10 years at Iowa State, where she served as the associate dean for research and discovery and associate director for the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment State in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, according to Source. She taught courses as a professor in agronomy and in genetics, development and cell biology.
She previously spent nearly 10 years working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service as a research geneticist, focusing on maize genetics and genomics.
“With her roots deeply embedded in agriculture and a career spanning from pioneering corn genetics to leading big data initiatives, she brings a wealth of expertise and track record of effective leadership,” Parsons told Source. “Dr. Lawrence-Dill is committed to the prosperity of agriculture and rural communities, and she will work with partners across the state to bring the best science to bear in support of Colorado’s farmers and ranchers. Her skills are especially relevant for Colorado agriculture, where information and science technology are the tools of our most successful farmers and ranchers.”
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Lawrence-Dill grew up in a small town in west Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at Hendrix College in Arkansas, master’s degree in biology from Texas Tech University and a doctorate in botany from the University of Georgia.
She replaces James Pritchett, who was named CSU’s Vice President for Engagement and Extension in January.
Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, x.com/KellyLyell and facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado State University hires new deans for two academic colleges
