Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010
ULV SELECTS PRESIDENT
Lieberman will be first woman in post
By MEDIHA FEJZAGIC DiMARTINO
LA VERNE — The University of La Verne’s board of trustees on Tuesday named Devorah Lieberman to be the school’s 18th president.
Lieberman will become the first female president in the university’s 119-year history.
“Dr. Devorah Lieberman is an innovative, accomplished administrator with a national reputation as a transformational leader,” board Chairman Luis Faura said. “The Board of Trustees is confident she will pilot this university to great achievements and prominence.”
Lieberman will continue in her current position as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Wagner College, a private liberal-arts institution in Staten Island, N.Y., until she takes office in July.
“I believe that the values and mission that provide for the foundation for this university reflect the very best of a private liberal education,” she said in a news release. “I look forward to working closely with the entire university community in our combined efforts to create an environment where all students, faculty and staff can achieve their greatest potential.”
Lieberman will be on campus today to meet with students, faculty and staff for the first time.
The trustees’ decision concluded a 10-month national search, which netted 60 qualified candidates, four of them making it to the final round. Their identity was not revealed, as several were concerned that they could be fired from their current jobs if the word got around that they were applying elsewhere, said Richard Simpson, the president of the faculty senate.
Although Simpson signed a “non-disclosure agreement” and could not reveal whether any of the candidates were local, he did say that three of the four finalists had a “West Coast connection,” and that as a group they embodied “every kind of diversity you can think of.”
Tipping the scales in Lieberman’s favor was her likable persona.
“She has a great, outgoing personality,” Simpson said. “All four finalists were successful, but none exuded the energy, the enthusiasm she had.”
Lieberman also “did her homework,” and “really understood what was this university all about,” he said.
Lieberman will replace Stephen Morgan, who is retiring after serving 26 years as the leader of his alma mater, university spokesman Charles Bentley said.
“Morgan has done a great job,” Simpson said. But the new president was not chosen just to fill his shoes.
“We wanted this president to be off campus as much as on campus, to be the fundraiser and the face of the university for next 10 years, on the national scene,” he said. “We have a small endowment, and we are driven by tuition and fees. We are hoping to increase the size of that endowment.”
Lieberman to become U. of La Verne (Calif.) president
December 15, 2010
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