Northern Michigan University President
Dr. Brock Tessman
Dr. Brock Tesmman began his tenure as Northern Michigan University’s 17th president on Feb. 1, 2023.
Dr. Tessman came to NMU from Montana where he served as the Deputy Commissioner of Higher Education for 45,000 students and 8,000 employees on 16 campuses that comprised the Montana University System (MUS). There, he was responsible for driving success across the wide-ranging sectors of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Research & Economic Development.
Prior to the Montana University System, Dr. Tessman was a professor of political science and dean of the Davidson Honors College at the University of Montana in Missoula. He began his academic career at the University of Georgia, where he earned tenure in the School of Public and International Affairs for his research and teaching on national security, foreign policy, and the relationship between environmental conditions, risk tolerance and leadership decision making.
Dr. Tessman was born in Detroit and grew up in nearby Plymouth, Michigan. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Brown University and received both his master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of young daughters Frances and Leona. Dr. Tessman is an avid trail runner, enjoys board games and has been a lifelong Detroit Lions fan.