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IS SCHOOL RETURNING TO STABILITY? We Hope So
RENDAHL SET TO HEAD UND SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION FOR ANOTHER YEAR
After going through nine
different directors and a lawsuit in recent years, UND's School of Communication
now appears stable with the expected appointment of Steve Rendahl as acting
director. A 25-year veteran
in the school and an associate professor, Rendahl was named interim director
last August to fill in for Richard Fiordo, who was granted a one-year leave of
absence to lead the humanities department at a Georgia university. When
Fiordo's leave was recently extended so he could remain in Georgia for another
year, Rendahl was again asked to take the reins, this time as the acting
director. He has accepted
the offer, and a favorable decision on his appointment is expected soon, acting
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Albert Fivizzani said. It's
not all finalized, Fivizzani said of Rendahl's appointment, but I expect it to
go through.
A tenured UND professor, Fiordo could still return to the school, but
Fivizzani said the college would ask the school's faculty to make a
recommendation about the permanent leadership of the school. Fivizzani said he has confidence in Rendahl's ability to change a pattern of
instability in the school, which began in 1991 with the school's loss of its
accreditation, a status bestowed on about one of four journalism schools in the
country. Unfortunately, Lana Rakow is not the school's only faculty member who is
dissatisfied with the direction of the school. Fivizzani said Rendahl is a known entity in the school, and UND's
administration already believes he's capable of leading the school.
Our goal is to bring back excellence to the school, Rendahl said. We plan to
have the accreditation team on campus in three years.
Grand Forks Herald, August 9, 2000