Montana State selects William Thomas as new dean of College of Letters and Science

BOZEMAN - Montana State University announced today that William Thomas, an administrator and long-time faculty member from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been selected as the new dean of the MSU College of Letters and Science. He will begin his new position on Jan. 13, 2025.

"William Thomas brings a wealth of experience as a scholar, educator and an administrator," said Robert Mokwa, MSU executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. "His leadership in fostering student success, research and public service, combined with his deep commitment to preparing the future workforce of tomorrow, will make him a valuable asset to our College of Letters and Science and to MSU as a whole."

Since 2021, Thomas has been the associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also served, since 2005, as a history professor and Angle Chair in the Humanities. Thomas was chair of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's history department from 2010-2016, and he was a Big Ten Academic Leadership Program Fellow from 2019 to 2020. In addition, Thomas was named a McClymont Distinguished Teaching Fellow and a fellow of the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities.

In 2023, Thomas was elected vice president of the American Historical Association, the largest association of historians in the world with more than 11,000 members, which was founded in 1884 and is chartered by the U.S. Congress. In that role, he leads the AHA's division on research and scholarship.

Before his time at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Thomas was a faculty member at the University of Virginia, where he also served as director of the Virginia Center for Digital History.

"I'm thrilled to be joining Montana State University and inspired by the students, faculty and staff I met at MSU," Thomas said. "I'm especially excited about MSU's land-grant mission and its deep commitment to student success and excellence in research."

Thomas has a doctorate and a master's degree in history, both from the University of Virginia, and a bachelor's degree in history from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Among other honors, he received a Mellon Foundation Award in 2023, the Lukas Prizes/Mark A. Lynton Prize in History in 2021, and grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2016, he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow.

Thomas was selected following a competitive national search, which attracted a pool of highly qualified candidates. He was one of four finalists who visited the MSU campus for interviews this month. The selection process included meetings with faculty, administrators and students, and included an open public forum and presentation.

"We are confident in Dr. Thomas' ability to inspire and support the faculty, staff and students of the college as we continue to strengthen our academic programs and research efforts," Mokwa said.

Thomas replaces Yves Idzerda, who served as dean from 2020 to 2024.

Mokwa expressed his thanks to the members of the search committee.

"We extend our gratitude to the seven-member search committee for their diligent efforts throughout this national search," Mokwa said. "Special thanks go to engineering college Dean Brett Gunnink, who chaired the committee and provided valuable leadership and guidance throughout the process."