University of Mary Promotes Drs. Mary Dockter and David Tamisiea as New Deans

BISMARCK, ND — Following nationwide searches, the University of Mary announced it has appointed Dr. Mary Dockter and Dr. David Tamisiea as deans of the School of Health Sciences and School of Arts and Sciences, respectively.

Dockter, a longtime faculty member and chair of the Physical Therapy Department, becomes the new dean of the premiere School of Health Sciences at the University of Mary. Dockter, a native of Jamestown, ND, takes over for longtime friend and colleague Dr. Jodi Roller, who announced her retirement last year after 10 years as dean and 25 years at the university.

Dockter’s announcement comes on the Feast Day of Saint Gianna, for whom the School of Health Sciences at the University of Mary will soon be named.

Dockter will continue to amplify the tremendous growth and national recognition the School of Health Sciences has achieved during Roller’s tenure. During her 22 years at the University of Mary, Dockter has elevated the school’s Physical Therapy program to national prominence as a professor, director of clinical education, and current chair of the program. Under her leadership, the PT program grew to more than 140 doctoral students at any given time; retained faculty at an impressive rate in a rigorous and high-demand field; and achieved the maximum 10 year accreditation status.

Community and medical ethics have been a big part of Dockter’s tenure at Mary. Dockter helped spearhead the Service Oriented Learning Experience (SOLE) program that provides students the opportunity to live through Christ’s mission of serving others — not only in the United States, but also in foreign and underdeveloped countries, serving the underserved in Guatemala and Peru. Dockter participated in the 2017 “Life and Dignity of the Human Person” pilgrimage to Germany and France, visiting sites such as Dachau, Nuremberg, and the Marian shrine of Lourdes.  She has been courageous in defending the principles of Catholic social and moral teaching in her roles in both the House of Delegates and the Academy of Women’s Health of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Dockter has numerous certifications and peer-reviewed publications, is lead and co-author of several journal articles, is a member of many professional organizations, and continues to be very active within the Bismarck-Mandan communities.  Dockter begins her new role as dean on June 1.

Tamisiea, who held the post of interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences (SOAS) this past academic year, came to the University of Mary in 2018 as administrative chair of University-wide Programs and associate professor of Theology. As dean, his oversight includes providing leadership to a body of key faculty members who provide and champion the university’s liberal arts core curriculum.  The university’s Rome Campus and all global studies, Mary College at ASU (Arizona State University), and the landmark Catholic Studies program are also under his purview. Tamisiea also teaches in his primary discipline of theology as an associate professor. In 2018, Tamisiea joined members of his faculty making his public Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity, having the Mandatumfrom the Most Reverend David D. Kagan, Bishop of the Diocese of Bismarck.

Tamisiea, a native of Omaha, NE, brings a wide-ranging skillset and diverse experience to the dean position. Before arriving at Mary, Tamisiea served as executive director and trustee for the Saint Philip Institute of Catechesis and Evangelization in Tyler, TX. He spent the four years prior as the director of undergraduate Theology and assistant professor of Theology at Ave Marie University in Florida, where he also obtained his doctorate and master’s degree.

Before his theological studies, Tamisiea had his own law office in Dallas, TX, before becoming a partner at the business law firm of Scheef & Stone. Tamisiea double majored in Pre-medicine and Psychology at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, playing football there and graduating with honors. He would later earn his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin.

Tamisiea was a popular speaker, blogger, and vlogger for the St. Philip Institute and authored several Catholic writings and publications; is a member of the Texas Bar Association; has guest lectured on nearly three dozen topics related to the Catholic faith; served on several committees at both Ave Maria University and University of Mary; appeared on Eternal Word Television Network’s (EWTN) Life on the Rock with Jeff Cavins; along with appearances on regional and national Catholic radio networks.

Tamisiea is also proficient in Latin, Greek and French, with primary scholarly interests in ecclesiology, theology of the laity, and moral theology, and is conversant in the thought of Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, and Saint John Henry Newman.

Tamisiea begins his position as dean immediately.