As one semester ends the Summer season will bring not only new life but newly appointed Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, George Arasimowicz, from the carnation state of Ohio to the sunflower state, Kansas.
With a storied musical and fine arts career, Arasimowicz has served as the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio– a city with a population of around 2,300.
“I have had the benefit to see and work at several universities across the nation as an accreditor, so I feel confident that ESU has a great track record with great membership and it is poised right now to be very successful,” said Arasimowicz. “The future is dependent on all of us working together, we can’t always see what is going to happen. No one could have known that circumstances now would be so appalling around the world. If I can speak with candor, interdependency is crucial. I want to work with others to see what our best practices are and to understand our circumstances and share the great narrative of ESU.”
Aresimowicz’s presentation to campus as a candidate focused on his track record of turning failing programs around by working together and engaging in community outreach.
“Many people prosper and thrive by knowing and attending and getting into contact with us, so outreach has to be a part of that,” Arasimowicz said. “We have to share what we are with people in the community, in Kansas and beyond. We have to show that we are here for you and we have great programs.”
In his advice to graduates Arasimowicz said accuracy in truth is not only important for student papers like The Bulletin and in the newsroom, but for the university as well.
“You want to do that good work by reporting and providing information (to students) because it is so essential to us,” Arasimowicz said. “In part this deals with clarity and trying to get to sources to look for accurate truths because so much is conflicting now in the world in terms of information strands. We have to be a place for discourse, but we need to stand up for things that are accurate and stand up for principle.”
Current Provost David Cordle is scheduled to step back from his position in June to help make a clean transition.
“There’s always change happening in higher education, always,” Cordle said. “You can certainly say the pace of that change has picked up in recent years and will probably continue to accelerate. As far as this transition into new leadership is concerned it’s more of a matter that I have been in this role for eight years now and that makes it a good time for somebody else to come in with fresh ideas, new ideas. This kind of transition from time to time is a good thing.”
