Presidential Perspectives

Dr. Vinton Thompson President, Metropolitan College of New York

Dr. Vinton Thompson became President of Metropolitan College of New York in May 2008. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Harvard University in 1969 and a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Chicago in 1974. He began his academic career as an adjunct instructor in Natural Science at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he later served as Professor of Biology, Biology Department Chair, Director of the School of Science and Mathematics, Associate Provost and Provost. While in Chicago, he also served as the system Director of Institutional Research at the City Colleges of Chicago. In 2004 he became Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Kean University in New Jersey, where he served until assuming the presidency at Metropolitan College in 2008.

Dr. Thompson has published widely on topics related to population genetics, ecology and evolution. He is a recognized expert on the biology of spittlebugs, insects of the Superfamily Cercopoidea, and holds a Research Associate appointment at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. He serves on the board of the Yes We Must Coalition, a group of smaller independent colleges and universities that serve large numbers of economically disadvantaged students effectively.

Scott Koerwer President, Newberry College

Dr. V. Scott Koerwer is an entrepreneur in the higher education industry with over twenty years of experience, three entrepreneurial startups and numerous program development initiatives around the globe. At the time of this publication, he served as the 21st President of Newberry College. He has a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College; he earned a master’s degree in government and political science from Lehigh University, and a doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is an alumnus from the Kellogg School of Management’s Advanced Executive Program and also earned a two-year certificate in organizational development and consulting from the National Training Labs.

Dr. Koerwer has served in dean and director roles at business schools including the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina; the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Koerwer has been a consultant to numerous companies, entrepreneurial initiatives and educational enterprises around the world. Current and/or past clients include world-class organizations such as Johnson and Johnson, Merck, Dupont, IBM, Merrill Lynch, Black and Decker, the World Bank, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, Samsung, Toyota Motor Corporation, McCormick, NEXTEL, Otis Elevator and not-for profit organizations including the Securities Industry Association, the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives and the NASD. He has engaged in educational programs and or business activities in countries including: Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Japan, Thailand, Tunisia, Egypt, Singapore, England, Mexico and South Korea.

Dr. John M. McCardell, Jr. Vice-Chancellor and President, University of the South

John M. McCardell Jr. was elected as the 16th vice-chancellor and president of the University of the South effective July 1, 2010, and was formally installed in October, 2010. McCardell has challenged the university both to examine its history and to seize the opportunities of the present in order to fulfill its vision of being a nationally prominent university located in the American South.

McCardell, president emeritus of Middlebury College, is a distinguished historian and respected national leader in liberal arts education. He possesses a record of achievement as a scholar of the American South, as the chief executive of one of America’s finest liberal arts colleges, and as a respected national figure in the public discussion about higher education and student life.

Dr. McCardell joined the history faculty at Middlebury in 1976 and held a number of administrative posts before being named president in 1992. A 1971 graduate of Washington and Lee University, he did his graduate work at The Johns Hopkins University and then at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in history. McCardell has received honorary degrees from Middlebury, from Washington and Lee University and from St. Michael’s College.

McCardell is the author of The Idea of a Southern Nation, developed from his Ph.D. dissertation, as well as many essays, chapters, articles, and book reviews. His specialty is U.S. history in the 19th century with special emphasis on the South and on American historiography.

During his first year as vice-chancellor, McCardell has led a campus master planning effort. In February 2011, Sewanee, in an unprecedented move, reduced its tuition and fees for the academic year 2011-12 by ten percent. The decision has garnered much positive coverage in the national media.

John McCardell can be reached at jmmccard@sewanee.edu

L. Jay Lemons President, Susquehanna University

Dr. L. Jay Lemons assumed the presidency of Susquehanna University in 2001. Prior to that, he served as chancellor for The University of Virginia’s College at Wise from 1992 to 2001.

His leadership in higher education has been significant with service that includes board chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Campus Compact and the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Council of Presidents. He currently chairs the board of the LECNA (Lutheran Educational Conference in North America). In addition, he is a former board member of the Council of Independent Colleges and an executive committee member of the Associated New American Colleges. A committee member for the Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness of the American Council of Education, he also served as a member of the Committee on Student Aid of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Dr. Lemons earned a B.A. in philosophy and a B.S. in physical education and health education from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a M.Ed. in educational psychology and college student development from the University of Nebraska. He received his Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Virginia.

Jay Lemons can be reached at lemonsj@susqu.edu

Dr. David Arnold President, Eureka College

Chapter 1: J. David Arnold, Ph.D., is serving in his seventh year as president and professor of psychology at Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. During his tenure at Eureka, the College created a strategic plan entitled “Growth with Integrity” that has achieved record enrollments and balanced budgets while reducing tuition/tuition discount and increasing net tuition revenue; launched the Ivy Project to achieve campus improvements, including the construction of a new residence hall; and doubled the percentage of alumni giving. Other recent achievements include the expansion of faculty resources, creation of visiting scholar and executive programs, and the implementation of a new organizational leadership program to attract non-traditional students. Arnold currently chairs the presidents’ council of Disciple-related colleges and universities.

Dr. Arnold formerly was vice president for academic and student affairs at Missouri Western State College, St. Joseph, Mo. He also served as provost at St. John Fisher College and as a dean and grants officer at Clarion University. He started his academic career teaching psychology and writing at St. Lawrence University, a residential liberal arts college where he was tenured and promoted before becoming an associate dean. As an academic leader and author, Dr. Arnold has focused on forging connections between the curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular spheres of students’ experience in learning communities, engaging faculty in strategic planning, and promoting the “teacher-scholar” model of faculty professional development at liberal arts institutions.

A native of Lancaster, Pa., and the first in his family to graduate from college, Dr. Arnold completed his undergraduate degree with honors at Bloomsburg University (formerly Bloomsburg State College), graduate work at the University of New Hampshire, and summer post-doctoral study at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. A self-described movie buff and nature enthusiast, Dr. Arnold and his wife Katherine have three grown children and twin granddaughters.

David Arnold can be reached at arnold@eureka.edu

Tim Goral Editor, University Business Magazine

Foreword: Tim Goral, editor-in-chief of University Business, has been a member of Professional Media Group since 2000, when as features editor he joined the staff of District Administration, the publication for K-12 educators. He became editor of the company’s higher education business publication, Matrix magazine, in 2001, and retained his editorial post when Matrix and University Business magazine merged in early 2002. In his nearly 20 years in national trade publication writing and editing, Tim has served in editorial posts for publications in the food & beverage, hospitality, and outdoor retailing industries. He is the author of “A Half-Empty Glassful of Optimism: The Path to Enlightenment Begins with a Road Trip.

Tim Goral can be reached at tgoral@universitybusiness.com

Dr. Donna Randall President, Albion College

Dr. Donna M. Randall became Albion College’s 15th president July 1, 2007. Randall is the first woman president in the College’s history.

She most recently served as provost at the University of Hartford, where she provided leadership for the university’s seven colleges and schools, as well as international programs, the honors program, and admissions and financial aid. She chaired a number of strategic planning initiatives at the university, and helped secure funds for the honors program and instructional technology. A board member for the university’s Mortensen Library and Hartford Art School, Randall was also active regionally, serving as chair of evaluation teams for the New England Association of Schools & Colleges.

Prior to joining the University of Hartford in 2000, Randall was dean and professor of management at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis (Tenn.) from 1995 to 1999 and then was interim senior vice provost for academic affairs in 1999-2000. While at Memphis she participated in fundraising initiatives supporting faculty development and advancements in information technology, including attracting seed funding for a $23-million FedEx Institute of Technology. She served on the boards of Junior Achievement of Memphis and Goals for Memphis. She was also involved nationally in the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).

From 1984 to 1995 Randall was on the faculty of the Department of Management and Systems at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., serving as department chair from 1992 to 1995. An accomplished scholar, she has written extensively about ethical decision-making in the professions and is a past editorial board member of the “Journal of Business Ethics.”

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Randall holds a B.A. in sociology from Drake University, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from Washington State University, and an M.B.A., also from Washington State. She participated in the Institute for Educational Management for Senior Executive Leadership and the Seminar for New Presidents, both at Harvard University.

Donna Randall can be reached at drandall@albion.edu