Dr. Metzinger Begins Her Tenure as Provost

Saint Mary named Dr. Michelle Metzinger as the university’s new provost and vice president for academic affairs and student life, following the retirement of Dr. Bryan Le Beau.

Dr. Metzinger brings nearly 20 years of higher-education experience to USM— most recently serving as vice president for academics at Presentation College in Aberdeen, S.D. She began her tenure at Presentation as the college’s registrar— and during her 18-year stint in Aberdeen, she also served as the director of information technology, a department chair, academic dean, assistant professor, program development officer, and director of institutional research and assessment.

In her new role at USM, Dr. Metzinger will be the chief academic officer as well as oversee all student life programming and faculty recruitment, program development, and tenure. Dr. Metzinger had this to say about her new position: “I am truly honored and very excited to work with such talented, creative, and forward-thinking administrators, faculty, and staff at USM. I believe in the Saint Mary mission, the power of a Catholic liberal arts education, and most importantly, I believe in our university’s future of continued academic excellence.”

Dr. Metzinger holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from Northern State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Northern State University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Capella University.

A South Dakota native, Dr. Metzinger was born and raised on a farm and ranch near Ipswich (25 miles west of Aberdeen). She has been married to her husband, Troy, for 30 years, and the couple have three children (officially empty nesters as of May)—Alexz, 26, married with a one-year-old son, Ellett (Dr. Metzinger’s first grandchild); Paige, 21, senior at Dakota State University (Madison, S.D.); and Matt, 18, freshman at Upper Iowa University (Fayette, Iowa).