EHD announces new associate deans


The University is pleased to announce two new associate dean positions. The College of Education and Human Development has named Cindy Juntunen associate dean of research and graduate studies; and Barbara Combs associate dean of teacher education.

The associate dean of research and graduate studies is responsible for supporting, coordinating, and facilitating the research and sponsored activity along with the graduate programs of the College. Juntunen is a full professor and former chair in the Department of Counseling. She has been at UND since 1994 and will continue as director of training for the doctoral program in counseling psychology.

Juntunen earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from UND and a master’s degree at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. She completed a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Missouri and received a Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a native of North Dakota and resides in Grand Forks.

The associate dean of teacher education is responsible for overseeing all of the components of teacher education at the University, including reaccreditation. The teacher education program at UND will undergo a reaccreditation visit by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and a state approval team in the spring of 2008. Combs is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. She has taught at UND since 2002 and last fall became director of teacher education.

Combs, a native of northern New York, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in early secondary education and a Master of Science in reading education, both at State University of New York at Cortland, N.Y. She earned a Ph.D. in English education with a minor in educational administration from Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. Combs resides in Grand Forks with her husband, Gerald.

For more information, please contact Jena Pierce, director of alumni relations and development, at (701) 777-0844, or jena_pierce@und.nodak.edu.