Cale Fessler has been named vice president for financial planning and administration at Missouri Western State University. He will begin his duties on Jan. 22, 2013.
“I’m pleased to welcome Cale Fessler to our administrative team at Missouri Western,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western’s president. “We are extremely fortunate to attract someone who has seven years of successful experience as a chief financial officer at a university in Missouri. He is well prepared to oversee the finances and administration of Missouri Western.”
Fessler is currently vice president – chief financial officer at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo. He began working there as business services and collections specialist in 2004 before ascending to the vice president position in 2006.
“I am excited and pleased to have been named vice president of financial planning and administration at Missouri Western,” Fessler said. “Although my professional background to this point in my career has been in private higher education, I have always recognized the value and strong academic quality of public colleges and universities such as Missouri Western. It is an exciting time to be involved in public higher education across the country and particularly in the state of Missouri. I am looking forward to working with my new colleagues at Missouri Western and am glad to have the opportunity to work with them to help the university meet the challenges ahead.”
The vice president for financial planning and administration is Missouri Western’s chief business and financial officer and reports directly to President Vartabedian. The division is responsible for accounting, budgeting, student billing and collections, payroll, purchasing, financial aid, physical plant, capital and construction management, security and safety services, human resources, information technology, the bookstore, food service, risk management and other administrative functions.
At William Woods, Fessler oversaw a balanced operating budget in each fiscal year, and the university received clean audit reports each year. He oversaw the refinancing of an $8 million bond issue that saved the university approximately $1.5 million and reduced the repayment period by four years.
Prior to going to work at William Woods, Fessler was a staff accountant at Noah & Co. CPAs in Brookfield, Mo.
Fessler received a Bachelor of Science in accounting and computer and information systems from William Woods University in 2003 and a Master of Business Administration in accounting from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., in 2004. He was licensed as a certified public accountant in Missouri in 2005.
Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.