State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced Thursday that three potential appointees for North Dakota’s Board of Higher Education have been forwarded to Gov. Doug Burgum for his consideration.
The finalists are Ian Grande, of Bismarck, the principal of Shiloh Christian School of Bismarck; June Randall, of Grand Forks, a television producer and founder/chief executive officer of Circle of Nations Publishing; and Joseph Wetch Jr., of Fargo, an attorney and vice president of the Serkland Law Firm of Fargo.
Baesler is chairwoman of a five-member nominating committee that selects finalists for the governor to consider for Board of Higher Education appointments. The panel’s other members are North Dakota Chief Justice Jon Jensen; Sen. Oley Larsen, R-Minot, the president pro tempore of the North Dakota Senate; Rep. Lawrence Klemin, R-Bismarck, the speaker of the North Dakota House; and Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, which represents public employees and teachers.
Burgum will choose from among the three finalists for a successor to Don Morton, who is leaving the Board of Higher Education on July 1. Morton, a retired executive for Microsoft Corp., served for eight years. Members of the Board of Higher Education are picked for four-year terms, and are eligible for reappointment to a second term.
Burgum’s choice will begin serving on July 1. He or she will be subject to confirmation by the North Dakota Senate during the 2021 Legislature to remain on the board.
The Board of Higher Education has eight voting members, as well as two nonvoting advisers who represent the faculty and staff of the North Dakota University System. The board oversees the university system, which has 11 public colleges and universities.