by Betsy Harmsen

harmsenbe@mnstate.edu

Just over a year ago, MSUM was welcoming Christopher Nelson as the university’s new director of Public Safety. Today, there’s a new man on campus. James Schumann was hired as Public Safety’s new director March 14. He said he wants to make the transition between directors as smooth as possible.

It was six months after Nelson resigned that Schumann was hired for the job. Public safety appointed an interim director to fill the role for three months, but the regional search for a new director took longer than expected.

Schumann earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at St. Cloud State University, studying political science and criminal justice as an undergrad and criminal justice as a graduate student.

Schumann, who lived in St.Cloud before moving to Fargo-Moorhead, said he likes the area and MSUM’s atmosphere, specifically since the start of Anne Blackhurst’s presidency.

“I like the openness on campus and the transparency with the administration,” Shumann said. “This campus is so connected. That’s why I like MSUM.”

Schumann said with every new job, there are new issues to address. He said MSUM isn’t unusual, explaining things like underage drinking are problems everywhere. Schumann said he isn’t under the impression MSUM’s security is any worse than other universities’.

Keeping the campus happy and motivating students to interact with the community are on his list of things to do, he said, but he mostly wants to ensure students are successful — not just in student life, but their personal lives as well.