Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D. Named President of Medaille College
Dr. Jurasek's vision will guide academic and fund-raising initiatives
The Medaille College board of trustees has elected Richard T. Jurasek, Ph.D. as the 6th president of Medaille College. Dr. Jurasek has a strong background in academics as well as fundraising. He is the executive vice president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Dr. Jurasek will begin his tenure as Medaille College's 6th president on June 1, 2007.
"Dr. Jurasek is a born educator who will bring to Medaille a compelling academic vision," said William M. Collins, chair of the board of trustees. "He is an extraordinary individual with an engaging personality and warmth and we have no doubts that he will be a great leader of our college and help to transform it, as he puts it, from 'good to 'great.'"
Dr. Jurasek was among 45 applicants for the presidency. The presidential search process began last November following the resignation of Dr. Joseph Bascuas, the College's 5th president. The 13-person search committee was composed of members of the faculty, administration and trustees, along with representatives from the student body and the alumni. The committee was chaired by Margaret Kafka '90, a member of Medaille's board of trustees.
At Antioch College, Dr. Jurasek served as the chief operations officer with direct responsibility for admissions, financial aid, academic affairs, student affairs and auxiliary services. In addition to these leadership roles, he also helped design and launch the final phase of Antioch's capital campaign, completed a facilities master plan, prepared for a successful accreditation site visit by the North Central Association, and continued the successful re-branding of Antioch College.
As the 6th President of Medaille College, Dr. Jurasek will lead a college that has achieved remarkable growth over the past decade. With over 3,000 students, Medaille is now the third largest private college in the Buffalo area.
During the past decade the College has invested nearly $30 million in capital projects, including the construction of two residence halls; the purchase and remodeling of eight houses on Humboldt Parkway and Agassiz Circle as faculty and administrative office space and state-of-the-art classroom space; and the installation of the quadrangle green space and a beautifully landscaped land ramp, providing access to the offices and classrooms in the Humboldt Parkway houses. The College is currently in the process of completely remodeling a 50,000 sq. ft. facility on Wilson Road in Amherst, which will become the new home of Medaille's graduate and adult-learning programs this spring.
Dr. Jurasek originally joined Antioch in 2003 as the college's vice president and dean of faculty. He served as the Antioch's interim president from July 2004-February 2006 and was promoted to executive vice president in March of last year. Before joining Antioch College, Dr. Jurasek served as the dean of faculty at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill., and as Professor of German at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind.
A foreign language scholar, Jurasek earned both his Ph.D. and master's degrees in German from The Ohio State University and his bachelor's degree in German from Ohio University. Dr. Jurasek has co-authored three books on German that are used in colleges and universities across the country. He has published widely and has made numerous presentations about on-campus and off-campus curriculum design.
In addition to his work in academics, Dr. Jurasek is an elected member to both the Community Resources Board and the Community Roundtable in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He was a worksite volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (2001-2003) and served as a classroom volunteer (2001-2003) in Rock Island, Ill. Dr. Jurasek and his wife Barbara, a tenured professor at Earlham College, will relocate to Buffalo this summer. They have one child.
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