BISMARCK — State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler encouraged North Dakotans on Wednesday, Oct. 29, to apply for a pending vacancy on the State Board of Higher Education.

The vacancy was created by the pending resignation of board member Levi Bachmeier, West Fargo, who was appointed by Gov. Kelly Armstrong to succeed Baesler as superintendent of public instruction. Bachmeier’s successor on the Board of Higher Education will serve out his four year term, which ends June 30, 2029.

The application deadline for the position is 5 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. Applications may be submitted to the Department of Public Instruction by email or regular mail. Candidates must provide a resume and no more than six letters of reference. They also must have lived in North Dakota for the previous five years, and may not have been employed or paid by the North Dakota University System within the last two years.

The members of the Board of Higher Education are appointed by the governor from a list provided by a five-member committee chaired by the superintendent of public instruction.

The committee’s members are Baesler; North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Jon Jensen; Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, which represents schoolteachers and public employees; state House Speaker Robin Weisz, R-Hurdsfield; and Sen. Kyle Davison, R-Fargo, the state Senate’s president pro tempore.

Bachmeier’s successor would begin serving on the Board of Higher Education immediately upon his or her appointment. The governor’s choice would need to be confirmed by the North Dakota Senate during its 2027 session to continue serving on the board.