Pine Technical College Hires New Dean of Academic Affairs

Pine Technical College recently selected Dr. Dean R. Masters to serve as the Dean for Academic Affairs. Masters brings to the position 10 years of progressive administrative experience in a community college setting and 23 years of supervisory experience in the public and private sectors.

Dr. Masters is a native of Hancock, Michigan where he graduated from Hancock Central High School in 1980. Masters earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan Technological University in 1985 and earned his Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Michigan University in 1994. Masters earned a Doctorate of Education degree from Nova Southeastern University in January 2006 with emphasis in higher education leadership. Masters also holds certification as an Acquisition Professional from the National Contract Management Association and the United States Air Force.

Dr. Masters served ten years on active duty in the Air Force as a contracting officer and squadron commander. He later joined the Air Force Reserve where he served another ten years as an admissions liaison officer for the Air Force Academy. After 20 years of combined service, Masters retired from the Air Force Reserve in July of 2006.
For the past ten years, Dr. Masters has been employed at Bay de Noc Community College in Escanaba, Michigan.

While at Bay College, Masters served in several administrative capacities and taught management classes as an adjunct instructor for two years. However, most recently Masters served as the dean for business and technology for the past eight years where he was responsible for providing administrative leadership and direction for two academic divisions, 16 occupational programs, 16 full-time instructors, 38 adjunct instructors, and the Career Preparation Office.

Masters is an advocate for increasing the accessibility to higher education to rural communities through the two–year college system. “I am passionate about the critical role and positive impact that a two-year college has on individuals and businesses within a rural setting,” stated Masters. “The two-year college provides local access to high-quality academic programming, which leads to gainful employment for our graduates and economic prosperity for the region.”

When asked about what impressed him about Pine Technical College, Masters remarked, “The competence of the instructional staff and the genuine concern for student learning that was displayed by all campus employees.”
Robert Musgrove, President of Pine Technical College, stated, “We are delighted to have Dean join us. He brings with him extraordinary credentials and a high caliber of professionalism. He is a good fit for PTC and will only add to the college and to our community.”

Dr. Masters and his wife (Jeri) reside in Rock Creek. They have two daughters: Jessica is a senior at Grand Valley State University in Michigan and Kelsy will attend Pine Technical College this fall.