BEMIDJI -- MaryTheresa Seig has been named Dean of the College of Arts, Education and Humanities at Bemidji State University.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Allen Bedford said Seig’s vast experience makes her well poised to lead the variety of departments she will oversee at BSU. She has academic training in English, linguistics, discourse analysis and intercultural communication, and experience managing complex programs in various countries, a release said.
Prior to her appointment at Bemidji State, Seig served as a professor of English in applied linguistics at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. where she was a member of the faculty and administration since 2001. She spent six years building and delivering an intensive English program in Bagdad, Iraq and from 2017-2019 served as Ball State’s executive director for global initiatives, the university’s senior international officer, the release said.
“I look forward to collaborating on various initiatives that are already in the works and to envisioning with the faculty and staff new directions and new adventures,” Seig said in the release.
As the executive director of the Intensive English Institute from 2006 to 2019, Seig grew a pilot program of ten graduate assistants and 35 enrolled international students to a robust program with 26 full-time faculty members and 385 international students. During her tenure, she was also successful in obtaining $3.7 million in external funding to support professional development, university partnerships and language learning.
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Seig holds a bachelor's degree in linguistics from the University of Oklahoma, a masters in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Michigan State University in East Lansing and a doctorate in English and linguistics from Oklahoma State University.
Her appointment at BSU will begin on Aug 1.
