Colorado State University is hiring new deans for two academic colleges

Two of the eight colleges at Colorado State University will have new deans starting August 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 female deans overseeing six of its eight colleges this fall.

Both new deans come to CSU from land-grant institutions in other states and were hired earlier this month, school officials said. Founded in 1870, CSU and other land-grant institutions across the country were first established by the Morrill Act of 1862 and later expanded by 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 was previously an assistant professor of communication and journalism at the University of Southern California, where she was research director for the Strategic Communication and Public Relations Center.

Thorson received her bachelor’s degree in English from Macalester College in Minnesota, her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and her doctorate 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 social 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 believer in the power of a liberal arts degree and how social sciences can play a leading role in addressing the biggest issues of our time,” CSU President Amy Parsons told Source. “Her expertise and passion for community engagement will also continue to build on the important foundation at CSU of strengthening our democracy, aligned with our land-grant mission.”

Lawrence-Dill has spent the past decade at Iowa State, where she served as 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 of agronomy and genetics, development and cell biology.

Previously, she worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service as a research geneticist for nearly a decade, focusing on corn genetics and genomics.

“With roots deeply entrenched in agriculture and a career that spans 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 deploy the best science to support Colorado’s farmers and ranchers. Her skills are especially relevant to Colorado agriculture, where information and scientific 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 received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in Arkansas, her 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 Vice President for Engagement and Extension in January.

Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest to the Coloradoan. Contact him at [email protected], x.com/KellyLyell And facebook.com/KellyLyell.news.