Russ McDonald, head of United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota, is serving on a new federal commission to address the challenges facing Native American children.
The group will coordinate child protective services among all state, federal and tribal jurisdictions. McDonald also wants to improve background checks to ensure children are placed in suitable foster homes.
Prior to United Tribes, McDonald was vice president of academic affairs at Cankdeska Cikana Community College in North Dakota.
Other people news:
- Christine Pharr is the new president of Mount Mary University in Omaha, Nebraska. Pharr has raised millions for the College of St. Mary, also in Omaha, while developing new undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Thomas J. LeBlanc is the new president of The George Washington University. As former executive vice president at the University of Miami, he led a university-wide initiative to strengthen and expand online education as well as initiated efforts to increase student and faculty diversity.
- Carla Brodley, dean of Northeastern University’s College of Computer and Information Science in Boston, is focused on increasing female enrollment in computer science. It has risen from 19 percent in 2014 to 26 percent in 2016 as a result of her efforts; her goal is 50 percent by 2021.
