NLU President Pappas accepts president position at Davenport University

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Thursday, April 30, 2009

Contact: Tracy Kremer
312.261.3847
tkremer@nl.edu
www.nl.edu/news 

NLU President Richard Pappas accepts president position at Davenport University

NLU’s Board of Trustees to launch search for new president immediately

CHICAGO— Dr. Richard J. Pappas, president of National-Louis University, has accepted an offer to become president of Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Mich. He will begin at Davenport University in August 2009.

NLU’s Board of Trustees will immediately launch a search for a new president, and have appointed Dr. George Litman to serve as interim president upon Pappas’ departure. Litman has been an academic leader at NLU for more than eighteen years and currently serves as the university’s interim provost.

“NLU has come far under Rick’s leadership,” said Dr. Diana Mendley Rauner, chairman of the NLU Board of Trustees. “We thank him for his tireless service to NLU and wish him success and happiness in his new endeavor. “

Pappas, who has also served as president of Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Mich., and Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md., was appointed as NLU’s president in 2005. During his tenure, the private, non-profit university has benefitted greatly from his innovative approaches to lifelong learning and educational partnerships.

“While I am excited for this challenge and the ability to get closer to family, I am appreciative of the tremendous progress we have achieved in four years,” said Pappas. “This happened because of great leadership from the faculty, staff, leadership team and especially the Board.”

Among his many accomplishments as president of NLU, Pappas developed a strategic plan with an inclusive process which eighty-five percent of the faculty and staff fully supported. He launched the university’s landmark Latino initiative, Proyecto Comunidad, which has led to sustainable community partnerships, innovative academic supports and increased scholarships that raised Latino student enrollment by 28% since 2005. During his tenure, the College of Management and Business was restructured and embarked upon new collaborative ventures, including educational partnerships with El Valor, Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Building Owners and Managers Institute International (BOMI). He helped the university make significant strides toward its fundraising and development goals, restructured the alumni board and paved the way for new academic programs like a Ph.D in psychology and a master’s program that prepares teachers for National Board Certification. And thanks to his leadership, the National College of Education is home to new and strengthened urban education partnerships that increase student achievement, such as the nationally-renowned urban teacher preparation program NLU’s National College of Education developed with the Academy for Urban School Leadership.

“I am fortunate to have developed many strong working relationships with community leaders during my time with NLU,” said Pappas. “I will continue to be grateful for all they do to serve the community and our students.”

About National-Louis University
National-Louis University has been a force for change in American education since its founding in 1886. Known for nearly a century as the National College of Education, it is still nationally renowned today not only for its programs in teacher preparation and educational leadership, but as one of the first universities to address the unique needs of adult learners. NLU pioneered accelerated education for adults, and today offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the National College of Education, the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Management and Business. NLU has a flagship urban campus at 122 South Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago; campuses in Lisle, Skokie, Wheeling and Elgin, Ill.; as well as Beloit and Milwaukee, Wis.; Tampa, Fla. and Nowy Sacz, Poland.

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.

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