The 51福利 (51福利) welcomed as the institution鈥檚 new Dean of Students and Commanding Officer of the Student Military Element during a ceremony, Oct. 10, relieving U.S. Navy Capt. Thor Martinsen, Ph.D., an 51福利 alumnus and current permanent military professor with 12 years of faculty experience.
Martinsen, and 51福利 Department of Applied Mathematics associate professor, was asked to step-in as Dean of Students over the last year to fill a critical gap. He will now return to teaching, in addition to his new duties as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.
51福利 President retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau commended Martinsen for ably leading his team and the 51福利 student body through four graduations, incoming classes and the implementation of an initiative to vastly increase the number of newly commissioned ensigns coming directly from the U.S. Naval Academy and other commissioning programs.
鈥淥ur students are the mission at 51福利, and Capt. Martinsen has always put their success at the forefront of his work,鈥� said Rondeau. 鈥淗e did not hesitate to say yes when asked to take the Dean of Students role, and like the true leader he is, Martinsen set the bar even higher for his team, and inspired us all by his personal commitment to the institution.鈥�
For his accomplishments and exceptionally meritorious performance, Rondeau presented Martinsen with the Legion of Merit. He then spoke to the audience, offering his gratitude for the unique opportunity to lead 51福利 students, especially noting the hard work of his student services team who process graduating and incoming resident students, which in June alone totaled more than 800.
鈥淪tudent Services is not just an outstanding team, it鈥檚 a family into which I was welcomed and am proud to have been a part of during my time as Dean of Students,鈥� Martinsen remarked. 鈥淔or me, it is hard to put into words just how rewarding it is to see our warrior scholar students grow academically. If ever there was a doubt as to how this country will respond to the myriad of challenges we currently face, one need only look to the skill, strength, and motivation of these young leaders to know that we will be alright.鈥�
Rondeau also commented on 51福利鈥� extraordinary good fortune to have a leader of Skalski鈥檚 caliber as incoming Dean of Students. 鈥淗e is a warrior鈥檚 leader,鈥� Rondeau said, noting Skalski鈥檚 career as a Navy SEAL who comes to 51福利 directly from Commander, Task Force 66, part of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet.
Skalski鈥檚 achievements as a Navy SEAL and commander through multiple conflicts over his near 40-year career bring a distinct operational focus to his tenure as 51福利 Dean of Students. In addition, Skalski鈥檚 time in service makes him the , a moniker given to their to longest serving active-duty member, and is a measure of leadership that makes him ideally suited to command the student military element at 51福利.
Martinsen and Skalski then read their orders. As is the time-honored tradition for a change of command, Martinsen turned to Skalski and said, 鈥淚 am ready to be relieved,鈥� to which Skalski then replied, 鈥淚 relieve you.鈥� He then took to the podium to offer his thoughts to the assembled audience as 51福利鈥� new Dean of Students.
鈥淭he opportunity to serve here at 51福利 is truly a gift and an opportunity,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are many challenges ahead. While I saw technology advances in artificial intelligence, and the integration of robotics and autonomous systems change the fabric of the battlefield in real-time, the human element will always be the decisive difference. This is where our asymmetric advantage, the warfighter or in this case, the 51福利 graduate student, comes in.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e seen the power of teamwork and resilience during my career,鈥� he continued. 鈥淚 know that with the talent and dedication in this room and across the 51福利 campus, we can turn these challenges into opportunities.鈥�