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Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian, president of Missouri Western State University, has announced his plans to retire effective July 1, 2019. David Liechti, chairman of Missouri Western’s Board of Governors, said that Dr. Vartabedian informed the Board of his plans during a closed session yesterday, and he announced his intentions to campus in an e-mail this morning.

“I have been truly honored to serve as Missouri Western’s president for over a decade,” Dr. Vartabedian said. “These have been by far the most gratifying years of my long career in higher education. For a first-generation college student like myself to have this kind of capstone career opportunity was a dream come true for me.”

Dr. Robert and Dr. Laurel Vartabedian

Dr. Vartabedian and his wife, Dr. Laurel Vartabedian, plan to spend more time with family, including their children and grandchildren in Texas. He announced his retirement nearly a year early to give the University time to find a successor.

“Bob and Laurel’s contributions to Missouri Western and the St. Joseph area will be felt for many years to come,” Liechti said. “Bob is a great leader and tireless worker with a vision and commitment to advance the University. Both he and Laurel have immersed themselves in the community and been great ambassadors for Missouri Western. The bar is set very high for whoever follows.”

The Board of Governors immediately began discussions about the search process, Liechti said. “Hiring a president is the Board’s most important job, and we want to move quickly and effectively to find the right person,” Liechti said.

Dr. Vartabedian became Missouri Western’s fourth president on July 1, 2008, and he is the longest-tenured current president among public universities in Missouri. The campus has grown in a number of ways under his leadership, but he is quick to credit others.

“Missouri Western accomplished many great things during my time here, but the University also accomplished many great things before my time here, and will accomplish many more after I leave,” Dr. Vartabedian said. “The real work has been done by the dedicated people of this University: the faculty, staff, students and alumni who take such great pride in being Griffons, and our many community partners who have made our work possible.”

Among the highlights of Dr. Vartabedian’s more than 10 years as president so far:

  • All academic accreditation outcomes have been successful.
  • The endowment of the Missouri Western State University Foundation has nearly tripled since 2009, from approximately $12.5 million to more than $34 million.
  • Missouri Western became the summer training camp home of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010, attracting nearly 350,000 visitors to the campus and community.
  • Griffon athletic programs have won numerous conference championships and competed in national tournaments while remaining free of any major infractions and recently establishing the highest overall GPA in the athletic department’s history.
  • The creation of the Walter Cronkite Memorial in 2013, including three live multi-media shows.
  • Other new or substantially renovated facilities include:
    • Agenstein-Remington Hall
    • Kit Bond Science and Technology Incubator
    • Spring Sports Complex
    • Griffon Indoor Sports Complex
    • Spratt Stadium, including a massive video board and most recently the Bill Snyder Pavilion
    • Griffon Hall
    • Kelley Commons
    • Thomas Eagleton Indoor Pool
    • Looney Complex Arena
  • The establishment of an innovative entrepreneurship partnership with benefactor Steve Craig to provide business opportunities across the country to approximately 30 alumni so far.
  • A tenfold increase in the number of international students.
  • A tenfold increase in the number of online courses.
  • Donations of three significant collections:
    • Hundreds of one-of-a-kind artifacts from the life and career of Walter Cronkite
    • Approximately 100 sculptures from renowned artist Brent Collins
    • Approximately 1,200 limited edition prints from a retired art faculty member

Prior to joining Missouri Western, Dr. Vartabedian served as vice president for academic affairs at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico. Previously, Dr. Vartabedian was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina from 1999 to 2005, serving eight months as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2004. Previous administrative experience for Dr. Vartabedian includes time as a department head and director of graduate studies in communication at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas and as a division head, coordinator of graduate studies in communication and assistant dean of graduate studies at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. He received numerous teaching awards throughout his career.

Dr. Vartabedian graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from California State University, Fresno, in 1974. He received a Master of Arts in Speech Communication from Wichita State University and a doctorate in communication from the University of Oklahoma.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.