Photo // University of North DakotaNO MORE GREEN TIE. Students speculate that once Brian Pappas steps into the Chancellor role, he will wear a red tie instead, reflecting the change from his former university’s color to IU’s crimson.
By: Claire McKenna
Staff-Writer
Talk of a new chancellor has been circulating IU South Bend since the beginning of the 2024 fall semester. Former chancellor Susan Elrod has stepped down, with her leave taking effect in December, and Andy Williams, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance, will serve as interim chancellor until July.
After the search committee and all-IU President Pamela Whitten reviewed candidates following student listening sessions and interviews, Whitten decided on Brian Pappas to serve as the new chancellor of IU South Bend.
“Brian Pappas brings a wealth of academic, administrative and professional experience that makes him an exceptional fit to lead IU South Bend,” President Whitten said in an interview with IU News. “His collaborative leadership style, commitment to student success, and experience in fostering community partnerships will serve the campus and the region well, and I look forward to welcoming him to the IU community.”
Unfortunately, Pappas respectfully declined an interview with The Preface.
“…in consultation with the folks at IUSB, we decided that it would be better for me to wait until I am officially on campus and in the job. I want to remain consistent,” he stated in an email to Preface reporters. So, until Pappas takes over the chancellor role in July, here is an overview of his former higher education experiences.
Since 2022, Pappas has been the dean of the University of North Dakota School of Law. He will continue to serve this role until July of this year. Pappas has done a lot in his three years as dean at UND. Law students there have maintained over a 90% ultimate bar passage rate, according to the American Bar Association. Pappas also has been committed to addressing North Dakota’s lawyer shortage, increasing the percentage of North Dakota-resident first-year students from 40% to 48%.
Applications to the School of Law have risen 29% during his time at UND. Recently, Pappas has been proposing an increase in tuition for current and new students.
“We simply need to increase tuition every year, as all schools do, to be financially sound,” Pappas wrote in the Gavel, the state bar association’s magazine in December 2024. According to the article, the law school faces a $2.1 million deficit by the end of the 2028 fiscal year under current circumstances.
Before UND, Pappas served as associate provost and associate vice president for faculty affairs and academic personnel at Eastern Michigan University. He also holds many different degrees from different schools, including a doctoral degree in public administration from the University of Kansas, a law degree from Wayne State and a master’s degree in public policy and bachelor’s degree in political science, both from the University of Michigan.