Podolefsky elected
Issue date: 2/17/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 3 next >
|
Podolefsky has served since 1998 as provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls. He begins his new duties at Central July 1, filling a post held since August 1999 by Dr. Bobby R. Patton, who is retiring.
In announcing the appointment, Palmer R. Nichols, II, president of Central's Board of Governors, said Podolefsky was the perfect fit for this post. He was one of four presidential finalists invited to campus in January.
"The CMSU Board of Governors is grateful for the input that went into this presidential search process from the various constituencies across campus," Nichols said. "Dr. Podolefsky comes from an institution that is very similar to CMSU in terms of its size and commitment to teaching and learning. He was chosen from an extremely strong pool of candidates and I am confident that his passion for providing quality education and his ability to make tough decisions will
ensure that CMSU continues to provide the very best education for our students."
The contract entered between Podolefsky and the board is through June 30, 2008. He will be paid an annual salary of $200,000.
Podolefsky said he is looking forward to beginning his new duties at Central, particularly after having spent some time on campus.
"My wife, Ronnie, and I were delighted with the warmth and sincere welcome we felt in the community and across campus during our visit, and are excited about coming to CMSU and Warrensburg," he said.
He currently works for an institution that has about 14,000 students and offers 120 undergraduate and 64 graduate programs. Like CMSU, UNI strives for a personal experience by creating a small college atmosphere.
"Central Missouri State University is a world-class comprehensive university, and it is truly an honor to be invited to serve as its next president," Podolefsky said.
He added that his first priority as president "is to gain a far deeper understanding of the university, the community and the region, and to assess where we go from here to best fulfill our dreams and inspirations."
Podolefsky earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, in 1968. He received two master's degrees from State University of New York at Stony Brook, one in liberal studies in 1974, and the other in anthropology in 1976. In 1978 he