DAVENPORT UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES TWO FINALISTS IN PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH

Davenport University’s Presidential Search Committee is pleased to announce the names of two finalists in its search for a university president.

Richard J. Pappas, Ed.D., president of National-Louis University in Chicago, and H. James Williams, Ph.D., dean of the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University, are scheduled to be on Davenport’s W.A. Lettinga Campus during the week of April 13 for campus visits and interviews.

Pappas also has served as president of Lake Michigan College, in Benton Harbor, and president of Harford Community College, in Bel Air, Md. He holds a doctorate in higher, adult and continuing education from the University of Michigan.

Williams’ previous positions include dean and Asa T. Spaulding Distinguished Professor of Accounting, school of business, at North Carolina Central University, Durham; dean of the school of management and professor of accounting at Delaware State University, Dover; and associate professor and assistant dean for academics in the Jesse H. Jones School of Business at Texas Southern University, Houston. He holds a doctorate in accounting from the University of Georgia as well as a law degree and L.L.M. in taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Davenport University has been searching for a bold and visionary academic leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong managerial skills, and an open communication style for the position. As a critically important part of the search process, meetings for each candidate have been scheduled with members of university leadership and various other faculty, staff and student representatives. This provides the candidates the opportunity to learn more about the university.

“The Davenport University Presidential Search Committee has followed a very thorough and deliberate process in identifying and screening a talented and diverse pool of candidates, We feel both candidates have outstanding credentials and experience to lead the university.” said Kenneth Yerrick, Davenport University Board of Trustees member and chairman of the search committee.

Visits by the two finalists will provide an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to meet them and comment on each one’s potential to lead Davenport University.

Davenport University’s goal is to have a new president in place before the start of the fall 2009 semester. The full presidential search profile is available online at http://www.davenport.edu/presidentialsearch  

About Davenport University
Davenport University – the only West Michigan-based private university specializing in business, technology and health professions – serves an enrollment of more than 11,000 students at its campus in Grand Rapids, locations throughout Michigan, and online. Davenport focuses on innovative, practical and affordable education and offers graduate and undergraduate programs. More information is available at www.davenport.edu