Akron, Ohio, Oct. 14, 1998 — Dr. Luis M. Proenza, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school at Purdue University, has been named the president of The University of Akron, effective Jan. 1, 1999. The announcement was made during a press conference today by Alex R. Arshinkoff, chairman of the University's Board of Trustees.
“In Dr. Proenza, The University of Akron gains a national leader with a proven background in higher education and scientific research,” Arshinkoff said. "He has enjoyed great success in teaching, research, management, strategic planning, and community and professional service. At the same time, he has been active in numerous collaborations with business, industry, and government. I'm sure he will prove to be a valuable asset not only to The University of Akron, but to the city of Akron, our region, and the taxpayers of the state of Ohio."
Proenza will be The University of Akron's 15th president since the institution's founding in 1870 as Buchtel College. He will succeed Dr. Marion A. Ruebel, who assumed the presidency on April 1, 1996.
Dr. Ruebel stepped into a challenging situation. In the past 30 months, he has done an outstanding job as the leader of The University of Akron, Arshinkoff said.
"The Board of Trustees and the entire University family owe Dr. Ruebel our eternal gratitude for his accepting our offer to come back to his true home at the University," Arshinkoff said. "He has made critical contributions to the University, and his place in its history is secure."
Proenza currently is the executive officer for research and advanced study for a five-campus system with 66,000 students and an annual budget of $900 million. His major initiatives at Purdue have included a university-wide program in economic development, support services for science and engineering educational programs, an aviation systems center, collaborative international programs, strategic partnerships with industry, joint management initiatives, and development of several interdisciplinary institutes and centers.
Before joining Purdue in 1994, Proenza served as
- vice president for academic affairs and research for the University of Alaska system, 1992-94;
- vice chancellor for research, dean of the graduate school, and professor of biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1987-92; and
- in a variety of positions in teaching, research, academic administration, and central administration at the University of Georgia, 1971-87.
At Georgia, he worked through the academic ranks and earned tenure, served as coordinator of the faculty in neurobiology, was founding director of a vision research laboratory, and was a member of the graduate faculty, faculty senate and university council.
Proenza also has served as principal investigator on many federal and private research grants, including grants of $25 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and $20 million from the National Science Foundation.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Emory University in 1965, a master's degree in psychology from The Ohio State University in 1966, and a doctorate in neurobiology from The University of Minnesota in 1971.