NEW WESTERN PRESIDENT HOPES TO TAKE ROOT
Jimmy Myers
St. Joseph News-Press
July 8 2008
MO
Vartabedian has climbed ladder in Midwest
When asked what advice he had for the incoming president of Missouri
Western State University, a retiring Dr. Jim Scanlon said a couple
of weeks ago that "Bob doesn’t need any advice from me."
Dr. Scanlon and Dr. Bob Vartabedian spent about 10 days together, a
few of them taking in the College World Series in Omaha, and a couple
in Jefferson City. Dr. Vartabedian, who just completed his first week
as the president of Western, must have made a good impression.
Dr. Vartabedian, 55, ends a tradition of Irish-blooded presidents at
Western. A third-generation American, he’s of Armenian and Lebanese
descent. He grew up in Fresno, Calif., a town that attracted many
Armenian immigrants, including his ancestors.
The West Coast boy became a Midwesterner after his first four
years of college. Dr. Vartabedian’s debate coach at Fresno State
University convinced him to join a graduate program at Wichita State
University. He took his mentor up on the offer and hasn’t looked west
in 30 years.
He met his wife, Laurel, a playwright, at Wichita State. They married
a year after meeting and went off to the University of Oklahoma,
where they each earned their doctorates, his in communications.
They spent the bulk of the 1980s back at Wichita State, where
Dr. Vartabedian became the university’s director of debate and
forensics and eventually the assistant dean of the graduate school.
"I always thought of myself as a teacher," said the former high
school teacher turned professor. "Not until the early ’80s when I
was at Wichita State … did I even think about administration."
With two kids in tow, Sarah, and Rob (now in their mid to late 20s),
the Vartabedians moved to Canyon, Texas, where he assumed the position
of head of the art, communications and theater department at West
Texas A&M University.
After 11 years in Texas, Dr. Vartabedian took another move up the
administrative ladder as the dean of arts and science at Western
Carolina University. And for the past three years, Dr. Vartabedian
has been the vice president for academic affairs at Eastern New Mexico
University in Portales, N.M.
"I liked the sorts of things you could do by being in a leadership
position," he said, "having a sense of vision and acting upon it and
rallying the troops. I kind of liked it."
A presidential search committee was formed shortly after Dr. Scanlon
announced his intention to retire a year ago. A search firm was hired,
and by December of last year, three candidates were chosen to visit
Western and St. Joseph for a series of public appearances and forums.
Dr. Vartabedian said when asked how long he would consider staying
at Western, that he would like to "make this my last stay." He said
being president of a university is what he has hoped for since starting
his administrative climb.
"I’d love to put in a good career here and do all I can to move the
university and community forward," he said. "I have no aspirations for
larger schools and larger cities. In the last 20 years of my career,
these are the sorts of universities I’ve been most interested in."
Walking into an investigation
Last Monday was Dr. Vartabedian’s first day on the job and his first
meeting with his cabinet. He went around the table to ask what was
on everyone’s mind. The recent situation with the NCAA violation came
up first.
Dr. Vartabedian, and several new cabinet members, are walking into
a mess that started when coaches for the women’s basketball team
allegedly gave a total of more than $1,000 to three players. He
plans to do some fact finding first and then walk the "fine line"
of establishing a clean athletic program and "making sure you’re not
devastating the program."
"Now I’m trying to unravel things in terms of what happened and how
we’re going to deal with the punishment," he said.
Dr. Vartabedian said that even though he feels he and the new cabinet
members (including a new athletic director) are starting with a
"clean slate," he thinks it’s important that he communicates to
Western personnel that "we cannot tolerate this."
"These are the consequences of not abiding by the rules," he
said. "In some ways, it’s a concern. But in some ways, it’s a time
of opportunity."
Leaving an imprint
Dr. Scanlon’s vision for what he called a New American Regional
University hinged on applied learning for students and outreach into
the community. Dr. Vartabedian wants to enhance that ideal to include
financial literacy programs to ensure that Western graduates have a
grasp on money matters.
None of these ideas are etched in stone, he is quick to remind,
but Dr. Vartabedian also would like to develop international study
programs with universities overseas.
"An important aspect of being an American and being a New American
Regional University is understanding that we’re in a global community,"
he said, mentioning that Eastern New Mexico University had a successful
degree program with a university in China.
Dr. Vartabedian said that college communities also have a "wonderful
resource of retired faculty" and that he’d like to get them more
involved in day-to-day university activities.
And though he wanted to keep it under his hat until the idea can
develop more solidly, Dr. Vartabedian, who like his predecessor is
a huge fan of Shakespeare, would like to see an enhanced Shakespeare
studies program in the name of Dr. Scanlon. However, the initiative
would take a funding push that will need some looking into, he said,
making no promises that it would happen given the current economy.