Education
BS, Industrial Engineering, University of Nebraska
MS, Industrial Engineering, University of Nebraska
PhD, Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan
Brief Bio
Dr. Kerk is the Director of the Tiospaye Scholar Program at South Dakota Mines, which seeks to significantly increase the number of American Indian students earning BS STEM degrees by focusing on recruitment and retention, by providing support in five areas: Financial, Academic, Professional, Cultural, and Social. Tiospaye is a Lakota word given to us meaning Extended Family. The program has graduated seventy scholars since 2010. Past support came from National Science Foundation grants. Current support comes from private donors. Efforts are currently focused on creating an endowment to sustain the program.