SBHE to begin presidential search for BSC, Simone appointed president at LRSC

October 7, 2025

Presidential appointments for two of the North Dakota University System’s (NDUS) campuses and universities were considered during the Sept. 23 North Dakota State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) meeting at Minot State University. After discussions during the meeting, the Board has elected to begin a competitive search for the president position at Bismarck State College while Lake Region State College Interim President Carmen Simone was appointed as president.

Dr. Dan Leingang has served as interim president of Bismarck State College (BSC) since April 30, 2025. Additionally, he has served in faculty and leadership roles at BSC since 2000. Leingang was encouraged by the Board to participate in the competitive process once the search begins.

Simone has been interim president at LRSC since July 1, 2025. Prior to that appointment, she served as the dean at Dakota College at Bottineau.

“We’re excited to have (Camen) move in and take off. But you know, as we think about telling the public and the staff and the faculty at the Lake Region, I think you've got a great candidate to be president. And it's just an exciting time and we’re looking forward to working with you,” said SBHE Member Tim Mihalick.

Prior to the Lake Region presidential appointment, the Board also appointed Brent Sanford as the permanent NDUS chancellor, designating a new title of “commissioner” to align with North Dakota’s constitutional language. Sanford’s appointment came after he gave a presentation to the Board about his strategic vision for the NDUS and fielded inquiries during a questions and answers session. He has been serving as interim chancellor since April 30, 2025.

Board Actions

During the meeting, the SBHE also considered selecting an agency to conduct listening sessions with the public to get a better understanding of sentiments regarding higher education in North Dakota and to guide its future strategic vision. Through a request for purchase (RFP) process, members of a Board committee ultimately selected an agency in Fargo to carry out the listening sessions. During the SBHE meeting, Board members voted unanimously to approve the contract and authorized the Board chair to execute it. The scope of the project is expected to be completed within 90 days.

Committee Reports

Member Biller reported for the Academic and Student Affairs Committee. He said the group during its September meeting discussed efforts to identify critical pathways for new educational opportunities, streamline development processes and emphasized the collaborative approach to dual credit expansion.

Member Mihalick reported for the Budget and Finance Committee. He said the group talked about the higher education funding formula, as well as resource sharing between institutions.

Member Mihalick also reported for the Audit Committee and mentioned that the NDUS continues to receive clean audits. The group also approved the audit schedule for the next fiscal year.

Vice Chair Donald “D.J.” Campbell reported for the Governance Committee. He said the group discussed priorities from the Board Retreat in August, including faculty tenure qualifications, institutional missions and presidential evaluations and compensation.

Dr. Lisa Montplaisir reported on the Council of College Faculties and reported that the group has invited Vice Chair Campbell to its October meeting to share perspectives and thoughts from the SBHE. They also had discussions regarding the chancellor and presidential searches, tenure qualifications, reduced credit degrees and the importance of faculty involvement in shared governance, as well as ongoing discussions about transfer credit evaluation and systemwide policy alignment.

Student Member Maxwell Eriksrud reported for the North Dakota Student Association. The group is considering a few dates in April for a Higher Education Day, on which to meet Board members and legislators to learn about education initiatives within the state.

For the Staff Senate, Member Anna Kinney said the group had two themes from its campus updates: strengthening relationships between campus leadership and shared governance bodies, and expanding professional development opportunities, including inclusive events and onboarding practices across campuses. Campuses pointed to their respective “State of the University or Campus” events as opportunities to learn more about their institutions’ missions and visions.

The Board heard first readings for HR Policy 25 (Job Discipline-Dismissal) and Policies 308.1 (SBHE Member and Employee Code of Conduct), 409 (Degrees Offered), 469 (College Credit in High School), 508 (Student Grant, Scholarship, Loan Repayment, and Exchange Programs), 601.1 (Presidential Searches), 605.1 (Academic Appointments), 617 (Safety of Children on Campus), 703.1 (Early Retirement), 901 (Campus Planning and Facilities Management), 902.1 (Construction Process – Legislative Approval; List of Funding Requests), 906 (Emergency Preparedness and Management; Continuity of Operations; Security), 1902 (Emergency Notification System), 907 (Building Plaques), 908 (Financing through Revenue Bonds), 909 (Real Property Leases), 910 (Transfer of Real Property), 910.1 (Development of State Land), 1205.1 (State Longitudinal Data System) and 1206.1 (Data Element Dictionary – Data Quality and Integrity).

It also heard a second reading for Policy 1203.1 (Digital Accessibility). All policies were approved.

No public comments were made.