The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) welcomed U.S. Navy Capt. Eric Skalski as the institution’s new Dean of Students and Commanding Officer of the Student Military Element during a ceremony, Oct. 10, relieving U.S. Navy Capt. Thor Martinsen, Ph.D., an NPS alumnus and current permanent military professor with 12 years of faculty experience.

Martinsen, a Fulbright scholar and NPS Department of Applied Mathematics associate professor, was asked to step-in as Dean of Students over the last year to fill a critical gap. He will now return to teaching, in addition to his new duties as Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. 

NPS President retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau commended Martinsen for ably leading his team and the NPS student body through four graduations, incoming classes and the implementation of an initiative to vastly increase the number of newly commissioned ensigns coming directly from the U.S. Naval Academy and other commissioning programs.

“Our students are the mission at NPS, and Capt. Martinsen has always put their success at the forefront of his work,” said Rondeau. “He did not hesitate to say yes when asked to take the Dean of Students role, and like the true leader he is, Martinsen set the bar even higher for his team, and inspired us all by his personal commitment to the institution.”

For his accomplishments and exceptionally meritorious performance, Rondeau presented Martinsen with the Legion of Merit. He then spoke to the audience, offering his gratitude for the unique opportunity to lead NPS students, especially noting the hard work of his student services team who process graduating and incoming resident students, which in June alone totaled more than 800.

“Student Services is not just an outstanding team, it’s a family into which I was welcomed and am proud to have been a part of during my time as Dean of Students,” Martinsen remarked. “For me, it is hard to put into words just how rewarding it is to see our warrior scholar students grow academically. If ever there was a doubt as to how this country will respond to the myriad of challenges we currently face, one need only look to the skill, strength, and motivation of these young leaders to know that we will be alright.”

Rondeau also commented on NPS’ extraordinary good fortune to have a leader of Skalski’s caliber as incoming Dean of Students.  “He is a warrior’s leader,” Rondeau said, noting Skalski’s career as a Navy SEAL who comes to NPS directly from Commander, Task Force 66, part of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet. 

Skalski’s achievements as a Navy SEAL and commander through multiple conflicts over his near 40-year career bring a distinct operational focus to his tenure as NPS Dean of Students. In addition, Skalski’s time in service makes him the 19th “Bull Frog” in the SEAL community, a moniker given to their to longest serving active-duty member, and is a measure of leadership that makes him ideally suited to command the student military element at NPS.

Martinsen and Skalski then read their orders. As is the time-honored tradition for a change of command, Martinsen turned to Skalski and said, “I am ready to be relieved,” to which Skalski then replied, “I relieve you.” He then took to the podium to offer his thoughts to the assembled audience as NPS’ new Dean of Students.

“The opportunity to serve here at Naval Postgraduate School is truly a gift and an opportunity,” he said. “There are many challenges ahead. While I saw technology advances in artificial intelligence, and the integration of robotics and autonomous systems change the fabric of the battlefield in real-time, the human element will always be the decisive difference. This is where our asymmetric advantage, the warfighter or in this case, the NPS graduate student, comes in.”

“I’ve seen the power of teamwork and resilience during my career,” he continued. “I know that with the talent and dedication in this room and across the NPS campus, we can turn these challenges into opportunities.”