HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) - UPDATED at 1:40 p.m. Friday:A big decision made for Michigan Technological University's future.
"It quickly became very evident, I'm looking at the next president of Michigan Tech," said Board of Trustees chairman Terry Woychowski.
Michigan Tech's board of trustees unanimously elected the university's tenth president this morning. The board chose Dr. Richard Koubek after months of an in-depth selection process.
"When it got down to the finalists it was very difficult, but when Dr. Koubek started to talk the first thing he did was he talked about our vision statement as a university and how inspired he was by that," said Woychowski.
"The first four words of that vision statement is that Michigan Tech will lead. The second part is that we are a global institution and that is going to be critical to make the impact that it wants to have. The other part of it is that they are doing this to create a socially just and prosperous world. This is not just about Michigan Tech. It is about what Michigan Tech is going to do for others," said Koubek after the announcement.
Koubek grew up in Farmington Hills, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. He has worked at Big 10 universities including Purdue and Penn State. He comes to MTU from his position as Executive Vice President of Louisiana State University.
"I summarize it by saying that Dr. Richard Koubek was born for this position, this place, at this time. Everything he has done in his life and in his career has brought him here and he is truly the man of the hour to lead Michigan Tech forward into the fourth industrial age," said Woychowski.
Koubek is preparing to do just that.
"We will do that together with the campus community. For the next six months I expect to be walking around and talking to a lot of people because there are some brilliant faculty and staff and students here. We want to get the best of those ideas and then turn them into actual initiatives to drive that vision statement forward," said Koubek.
A presidential transition committee will introduce Koubek to community and university leaders. He officially steps in as president July 1, 2018.
--------------------------UPDATED at 10:15 a.m. Friday:Dr. Richard J. Koubek has been selected as the next president of Michigan Technological University.
Koubek is currently the Executive Vice President and Provost at Louisiana State University.
The university's Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select and appoint Koubek at a special meeting Friday morning. Koubek will begin his position on July 1, 2018. He will be Michigan Tech's tenth president.
"Michigan Tech is a technological university in its finest sense, where it is a leader in technology for sure, but also in the implications of technology on our environment, on our society, on our humanity," Koubek said Friday morning. "I am excited to be part of the Michigan Tech team that is going to define a new frontier where technology, humanities and the social sciences converge around creating a sustainable, just and prosperous world, and educating the next generation of students who will carry that forward."
Michigan Tech's presidential search committee had identified four semi-finalists in late February.
Koubek holds bachelorās degrees from Oral Roberts University and Northeastern Illinois University in Biblical Literature and Psychology, and his master's and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.
TV6's Houghton-Hancock bureau reporter Mariah Powell was at the meeting. Watch tonight's TV6 Early News for a complete report.
The public is welcome to attend a reception in the Opie Reading Room at the Van Pelt and Opie Library from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Friday.
You can learn more about Michigan Tech's presidential search process through the related links section on this page. Rep. Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) also offered his thoughts on the new MTU president. Northern Michigan University also offered their congratulations.
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