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N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – University of Jamestown Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Unruh announced today that Dr. Polly Peterson will succeed President Robert Badal upon his retirement in February, 2018. Unruh stated that the vetting process began in preparation for President Badal’s retirement, and included the Board of Trustees’ Personnel Committee in conversations with a consultant specializing in collegiate executive searches.
“We have tremendous confidence in Dr. Peterson’s abilities to lead this institution in its continued growth,” Unruh says on behalf of the Board. “She has demonstrated her commitment to the institution in her roles as controller, faculty member, and most recently as Executive Vice President.
As Executive Vice President, Peterson oversees the University’s offices of Institutional Advancement and Business Affairs. She has led the University’s current $60 million Capital campaign which includes the recent construction of the Harold Newman Arena.
Peterson holds a Ph.D. in higher education – institutional analysis from North Dakota State University and an M.B.A. from Regis University. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Jamestown with degrees in accounting and business administration.
“I am deeply honored to be chosen to serve the University of Jamestown as its fourteenth president,” Dr. Peterson says. “My husband, Darin, and I believe deeply in the University’s mission of developing wholeness in our students. The University has been blessed to have faculty, staff and administration who have dedicated their lives to supporting our students, and President Badal and the trustee leadership have guided the University to a place of tremendous strength. I look forward to the journey ahead.”
Peterson will be the first female president in the University’s 134-year history.
“The Board has selected an individual whose skills and vision match the future needs of the University of Jamestown,” Dr. Badal says. “Polly will be an enthusiastic and successful leader for this institution. During my tenure at UJ, Polly and I have worked together to create an institution that will serve students well into the future. I strongly support the Board’s decision in appointing Polly to the presidential role.”
Originally from Northwood, N.D., Peterson and her husband, Darin, a University of Jamestown alumnus, have three children, Andrew (Minneapolis), Paige (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and Courtney (Jamestown).