Dr. Verlene Ringgenberg retires as dean of Regional Programs

March 9, 2010 -- Dr. Verlene Ringgenberg, the dean of Arkansas State University’s Center for Regional Programs since 2003, retired from that position, as of Feb. 13. Dr. Michael Bowman, ASU’s director of Distance Learning, will serve as interim dean.

Dr. Ringgenberg has been at ASU since 1994, first serving as the coordinator of off-campus credit programs in the Center for Regional Programs before becoming dean. Prior to her work at Arkansas State, she served as an administrator at Barton County Community College in Fort Riley, Kan., for 10 years.

She has also worked as an emergency medical technician instructor and coordinator in the state of Kansas and has held workshops and national seminars for state medical services boards in Kansas, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota, and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Services. These events addressed such topics as adult learning, test construction, statistical analysis, program development and student remediation.

Dr. Ringgenberg has extensive experience in distance learning technologies and teaching methodologies, as well as adult education and continuing education expertise. She received her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from ASU in 2006 after working on a doctoral degree in Adult and Occupational Education at Kansas State. She received her Master of Science in Education degree in 1969 from Pittsburg State in Kansas after earning a Bachelor of Science in Education from the same university.

While at Arkansas State, she served on numerous committees, including the strategic planning driving forces committee, university curriculum committee, research and academic affairs council, council of academic deans, education and technology strategic planning committee, enrollment management task force, retention task force, and transfer issues task force.

Dr. Bowman has worked at ASU since 1996 when he came on board as distance learning technical coordinator. He advanced to the director of Distance Learning in 1998. Previously, he worked at KAIT-TV in Jonesboro from 1982-96, first as a commercial producer and director, then as assistant director of Creative Services. From 1991-96, Bowman was the director of Creative Services at KAIT-TV.

He is a member of numerous professional organizations involving Arkansas distance learning, including serving as president of the Arkansas Distance Learning Association in 2004. He was also vice president of that organization in 2002 and 2003. Bowman was president of the Arkansas Video Network Association (VNET) in 2002 and was the VNET vice president in 2001.

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