Venneman Named Dean of College of Science and Health

TAHLEQUAH When students arrive for classes in the Fall of 2007, a new face on campus will greet them. Dr. Martin Venneman joined Northeastern State University on July 1 as the new Dean of the College of Science and Health Professions.

Dr. Venneman bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the leadership position for the College of Science and Health Professions, said Dr. Dalton Bigbee, vice president for Academic Affairs.

An established lecturer, author and researcher, Venneman served as Associate Dean of the College of Science and Allied Health at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse for 29 years, and concurrently as founding Executive Director of the La Crosse Medical Health Science Consortium for 12 years before accepting his new position at NSU.

The quality of the administrative staff and faculty, the opportunity for growth and development, and the professional challenge of helping a great institution grow all attracted me to NSU, said Venneman. There are many exciting things going on new spaces, the excitement and challenges that come with finishing construction, the explosion in enrollment at the Broken Arrow campus, the enhancements at the Muskogee campus, and the future growth opportunities for science and health professions at all three venues brought me to the position.

Venneman graduated with a bachelor of science in Microbiology in 1966. The following year, he earned a master of science specializing in Pathogenic Bacteriology. In 1969, he was awarded his Ph.D. in Immunology. All three degrees were obtained from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

During his graduate studies, Venneman worked as a graduate teaching assistant and graduate teaching associate. Subsequent to a post-doctoral research appointment at Bryn Mawr University in 1970, he accepted a position as an instructor in the department of Microbiology at the University of Texas at Austin, serving as an assistant professor in that department from 1970-1972. In 1975, he moved to the biology department at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse.

At NSU, Venneman plans to immediately work with faculty to develop department and unit plans for programmatic growth and development, expand enrollment in the science and health professions majors, increase involvement of undergraduates in research, expand graduate-level programming, and seek non-traditional sources of support for the College's activities. Maintaining a commitment to educational quality and educational opportunities for students will be a major focus of his administration.

One of our College's primary objectives should be to provide the highest quality education possible for our students. That is our job. We are all here because of the students and students are most important, said Venneman. There is a huge opportunity in the state of Oklahoma for high quality science and health professions education and we need to provide it. That will be the underlying mantra of my tenure as the Dean of the College of Science and Health Professions.