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Vartabedian Named Next Western President
Contact: Kent Heier
Title: Assist. Public Relations/Marketing Director
Phone: (816)-271-4124
Email: kheier@missouriwestern.edu
WESTERN NAMES VARTABEDIAN NEXT PRESIDENT
St. Joseph, Mo. -Dec. 17, 2007-The Missouri Western State University Board of Governors has named Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian Western’s fourth president since 1969.
“Dr. Vartabedian’s 22 years in higher education administration have prepared him well to be Western’s next president,” said Dirck Clark, chair of the Board of Governors. “He has outstanding communication skills and a record of meaningful engagement with the communities where he has lived. He is the right person to lead Western into the future.”
“My experiences are a good fit for the university,” said Dr. Vartabedian, describing Western as a blossoming state university that is student-centered with a focus on applied learning and community involvement. “I welcome the opportunity to shape the future of the university and the region, and to communicate Western’s mission throughout the state.”
Dr. Vartabedian has been vice president for academic affairs at Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) in Portales, N.M. since 2005. In that role, he is chief academic officer for a university with a total enrollment of about 9,500. He has recently overseen re-accreditation efforts in six departments. The university’s 2007 evaluation by the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Association was accepted without any deficiencies and is being showcased as a model application.
Previously, Dr. Vartabedian was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. from 1999 to 2005, serving eight months as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2004. As dean, he oversaw 14 academic departments and four centers. As interim vice chancellor, he was the chief administrator for all academic programs for the 8,400 students enrolled.
Both ENMU and Western Carolina created several new academic programs under Dr. Vartabedian’s leadership. He has also overseen building renovation projects at ENMU for science, technology and music and five major building projects at Western Carolina totaling $60 million, including a $30 million Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Community involvement has been a hallmark of Dr. Vartabedian’s career. He created the ENMU “Peanut Project” as a way to forge a partnership with the local peanut industry while providing students with hands-on experience in a marketing campaign. He also recently directed a faculty showcase theatre production of Mitch Albom’s “And the Winner Is,” with proceeds benefiting ENMU scholarships and the Portales Main Street Project.
Previous administrative experience for Dr. Vartabedian includes time as a department head and director of graduate studies in communication at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas and as a division head, coordinator of graduate studies in communication and assistant dean of graduate studies at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kan. He has received numerous teaching awards throughout his career.
Dr. Vartabedian graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts in speech communication from California State University, Fresno in 1974. He received a master of arts in speech communication from Wichita State University, and a doctorate in communication from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Dr. Laurel Vartabedian, have two children: Rob, 28, of Amarillo, Texas and Sarah, 25, of Chicago.
“Dr. Vartabedian will bring a number of strengths to Western’s presidency,” said R. Patt Lilly, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the 20-member screening committee that reviewed applications and selected three finalists that were interviewed on campus in early December. “He has a strong record of integrity, of building consensus and of seeking and valuing the opinions of others.”
Dr. Vartabedian will succeed Dr. James Scanlon as Western’s president on Ju
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