Two Finalists for SOSU Presidency to Visit Campus April 13
Press Release Date: 04-04-2007
The Regional University System of Oklahoma (RUSO) announced today that the two finalists for the position of President of Southeastern Oklahoma State University will be invited to the SOSU campus next week, according to Sheridan McCaffree, executive director of RUSO.
The two finalists are Dr. Thomas L. Krepel, currently the Assistant to the President at Northern Illinois University, and Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Eastern New Mexico University.
They will be visiting the campus to meet with faculty, staff, students and community members on Friday, April 13. A schedule of activities for that day will be released shortly.
Krepel earned a Bachelor of Science in Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a Master of Education at Nebraska-Lincoln, and a Ph.D. at Nebraska-Lincoln with a major in Administration, Curriculum and Instruction and a minor in Public Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation.
Prior to joining Northern Illinois in August 2005, he was president of Chadron State College (Neb.) for seven years. Also at Chadron, he served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor of Education. Other experience includes: Dean, Associate Professor of Educational Administration, Office of University Outreach, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Associate Professor, Member, Graduate Faculty, Center for Educational Administration and Leadership, St. Cloud State University (Minn.); Assistant to the Chancellor and Director of University Relations, Assistant Professor, Member, Graduate Faculty, Chancellor’s Office, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Assistant Professor, Member, Graduate Faculty, Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations, University of New Orleans.
Vartabedian earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication at California State University-Fresno, a Master’s in Speech Communication at Wichita State University, and a Ph.D. in Communication at the University of Oklahoma.
He has been Vice President for Academic Affairs at Eastern New Mexico University since 2005. His previous experience includes: Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Communication Professor at Western Carolina University; Professor, Speech Communication, Director of Graduate Studies in Communication, Head of Department of Art, Communication & Theatre at West Texas A&M University; Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Head of Division of Rhetoric and Communication, Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Communication, and Director of Forensics at Wichita State University; and Assistant Professor of Speech Communication at East Central Oklahoma State University.
A 22-member SOSU Presidential Search Advisory Committee, comprised of RUSO regents, SOSU administrators, faculty and staff, and community members, was appointed in January to advise the regents during the initial phase of the search process. As part of this process, public meetings were held on campus Jan. 23 for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the community and friends to offer input and advice.
Dr. Glen D. Johnson, who served as Southeastern president for the past 9 1⁄2 years, assumed his new duties as the Chancellor of the Oklahoma State System for Higher Education on Jan. 17. Dr. Jesse Snowden is currently serving as Interim President at Southeastern.
The nine-member RUSO board governs the following regional institutions: Southeastern Oklahoma State University, East Central University, Northeastern State University, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and the University of Central Oklahoma.
