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ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ President Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., announced today that following a national search, William (Billy) H. Weitzer, Ph.D., a veteran administrator with more than 20 years experience in academia, has been named to the newly created position of Senior Vice President. Weitzer is currently Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Continuing Studies at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.

Announcing the appointment, Father von Arx said, he could not be more pleased with the outcome of the search. "In Billy Weitzer, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ is getting an individual who has distinguished himself as a leader in higher education administration. He brings a broad range of experience across a myriad of institutional programmatic and policy areas including academic and budget planning, institutional research, student life, information technology, faculty recruitment, retention and facilities planning. I'm delighted he has agreed to join the Fairfield community at this critical juncture in the institution's development. I am confident that Billy's talents, breadth of experience, along with his enthusiasm, will serve Fairfield well."

Weitzer came to Wesleyan in 1991 as Assistant Provost, and held that post until 1994 when he was promoted to Associate Provost. From 1996 to 2001 he served as both Associate Provost and Registrar until the appointment to his current position. Among his responsibilities has been coordinating the implementation of Wesleyan's Program in Curricular Renewal, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project that was integral to Wesleyan's strategic plan. At Wesleyan, he is also an adjunct instructor in the Department of Psychology.

Weitzer said he is delighted with the opportunity that awaits him at Fairfield. "I have a deep knowledge and genuine love for higher education. I enjoy working with students, faculty, staff and alumni to hear their concerns and ideas and to develop a sense of common purpose. I believe that my experiences in support of transformative education, moral behavior, and social justice are a good match for Fairfield's strong sense of identity and direction. It is most gratifying to translate my experience to help create organizational structures and processes that bring out the best in an institution and I look forward to doing that at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´."

Before joining Wesleyan, Weitzer was Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a position he held from 1985 to 1991. Prior to that he was, for six years, Director of the Student Affairs Research and Evaluation Office there. Previous to arriving at UMass, Weitzer was a Research Assistant at the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan. He received his B.A. degree in Behavioral Design from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and an M.S. in Psychology and Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology, both from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

As Senior Vice President, Weitzer will serve as principal adviser to President von Arx and as his Chief of Staff. Specifically, he will chair the University's Operations Committee, comprised of all the University Vice Presidents; serve on the University Budget Committee; oversee and direct University-wide planning efforts including leading the development of integrated annual and multi-year business plans with both operating and capital budget implications.

In addition, Weitzer will promote and facilitate collaboration and integration across operating divisions of the University including implementation of the University's strategic vision and plan; serve as the principal administrative representative to the Faculty Salary Committee, and manage the University's institutional research and assessment efforts. Weitzer will begin work at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ in early October.

Posted On: 09-15-2006 10:09 AM

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