Finalists named for dean of Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College

The search committee for the dean position at South Dakota State University’s Van D. and Barbara B. Fishback Honors College has named three finalists, who will be on campus the week of Jan. 12.

Each candidate will spend a day interviewing and meeting with university leadership, deans, faculty, students and staff. There will be open forums for each candidate to engage with other key stakeholders, including community and university members.

The finalists are:

Greg Heiberger

Heiberger has served as interim dean of the Fishback Honors College since May 2025. He previously served as associate dean of academics and student success in SDSU’s College of Natural Sciences and is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Biology and Microbiology.

Heiberger has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in counseling and human resource development with a student affairs specialization, both from SDSU. He earned his Ph.D. in education and human resource studies with a university leadership specialization from Colorado State University.

Heiberger’s 20 years of leadership in higher education includes innovation in curriculum, research and outreach programming. He spent five years in student affairs and 10 years as pre-med advisor/instructor. Since 2017, he has served as coordinator of the accelerated master’s in human biology, and in 2020 he was appointed associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences.

His recent research projects include a social listening study exploring the change in STEM career sentiment throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and a National Science Foundation-funded project titled "The Wokini Undergraduate Biology Education Network."

His open forum will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, in the Pheasant/Crest rooms of the University Student Union (SSU 253). To participate in the open forum session via Zoom, visit Greg Heiberger's Zoom link.

Tomeka Robinson

Robinson is the senior associate dean of the Rabinowitz Honors College and a professor of rhetoric and public advocacy at Hofstra University. An internationally recognized scholar and academic leader, Robinson’s work examines the intersections of health, culture and public policy.

Robinson has been deeply invested in student success and high-impact educational practices, including undergraduate and graduate research, faculty-mentored scholarship and community-engaged inquiry. She has been especially committed to expanding access to higher education for first-generation students and students from historically and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

Robinson has a bachelor’s degree in biology and speech communications from McNeese State University, and a master’s in communication and a Ph.D. in health education, both from Texas A&M University.

Her open forum will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, in the Pheasant/Crest rooms of the University Student Union (SSU 253). To participate in the open forum session via Zoom, visit Tomeka Robinson's Zoom link.

Joshua Stockley

Stockley is the director of the honors program, the Linda and Nick Bruno Endowed Professor in University Honors and a professor of political science at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He has over two decades of administrative leadership in higher education.

Under his leadership, the ULM Honors Program has experienced historic growth, receiving local and national awards. Prior to this role, he revitalized ULM’s political science program, doubling enrollment, increasing engagement and building a graduate program.

Stockley’s leadership, teaching and research focus on campaigns and elections, public policy, public administration, mental health and honors pedagogy.

Stockley earned his B.A. in political science and history from Oklahoma Baptist University and his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oklahoma.

His open forum will be held from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, in the Pheasant/Crest rooms of the University Student Union (SSU 253). To participate in the open forum session via Zoom, visit Joshua Stockley's Zoom link.

For more information on the candidates, visit the dean finalists landing page.