June 12, 2024

Dear Colleagues:

With great pleasure, I write to announce the appointment of Dr. Kjerstin Thorson as the next Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective August 1, 2024. Dr. Thorson will be joining CSU from Michigan State University where she serves as Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences, and is the Brandt Endowed Professor of Political Communication. Dr. Thorson holds a joint appointment as Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations and the School of Journalism. She also was the recipient of the MSU Teacher-Scholar Award conferred upon selected members of tenure system faculty.

Dr. Thorson is an accomplished scholar and visionary leader with an impressive record of achievements across the academic enterprise. She is a creative and innovative thinker who can keep the momentum going for the College of Liberal Arts and strategically, thoughtfully build upon the tremendous successes of its faculty, staff, and students. She is passionate about advancing the impact of the liberal arts and social sciences on society’s most pressing challenges, and she is equally passionate about the power of institutions like CSU to make a difference in the world through its land-grant mission.

In 2022, Dr. Thorson was selected as a fellow of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Leadership program, the Big Ten’s most prestigious leadership development program. Taking part in that program, Dr. Thorson says she saw firsthand what peer land-grant universities are building and what it looks like behind the scenes to tackle grand social challenges through innovative partnerships. She will be extraordinary in the role of College of Liberal Arts Dean, and she brings with her a deep appreciation for access and inclusive excellence, and a strong commitment to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion from leadership to scholarship.

Among the CSU initiatives that Dr. Thorson cited as most inspiring to her was our Year of Democracy and Civic Engagement, and our desire to promote productive dialogue through nationally-recognized speakers, panels, research, programs, and multidisciplinary work across the institution. Dr. Thorson’s own research explores how digital platforms are changing the ways we learn about our political world and the democratic consequences of information inequality, especially in local communities. This includes a focus on how digital and social media are changing existing practices of political participation, particularly among youth.

I wish to express my deep appreciation for Dr. Elissa Braunstein who has provided outstanding leadership as College of Liberal Arts Interim Dean while we conducted a national search. Elissa will continue in the interim role until Dr. Thorson’s arrival. I also wish to offer my gratitude to Dr. Karen Estlund, Dean of Libraries, who chaired a highly competitive national search that produced a wonderful pool of qualified candidates. I am equally grateful to the other search committee members and support staff who participated in this successful search, and to the CSU community for its engagement and feedback.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Thorson to our Ram community. I look forward to seeing all the College of Liberal Arts and CSU will achieve under her leadership.

Sincerely,

Marion K. Underwood
Provost and Executive Vice President