Luis Ma. R. Calingo to Step Down as Woodbury President; Provost David P. Dauwalder to Lead University on Interim Basis

    BURBANK, CA, February 07, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Luis Ma. R. Calingo, Ph.D., president of Woodbury University, will step down at the conclusion of the current academic year rather than seek another term, the university announced today. Succeeding Dr. Calingo on an interim basis will be current Provost David P. Dauwalder, Ph.D.

The Board of Trustees has granted Dr. Calingo a sabbatical leave from March 1 to June 30. Dr. Dauwalder will begin serving as interim president starting on March 1. The Board announced its plans to immediately form a search committee and begin a nationwide search for a permanent replacement, and endorsed continued execution of the existing strategic plan.

"Late last fall, I advised the leadership of our Board of Trustees of my intention not to seek an extension of my contract, which expires at the end of this year," Dr. Calingo said. "I did so after a thorough reflection of the accomplishments that Woodbury has had during my presidency. The Board hired me three years ago to develop and execute a strategic plan that would bring Woodbury to the next level of competitiveness, distinction, and excellence. The first phase of that strategic plan is our ongoing capacity building in preparation for a period of growth. Not only is that period of capacity building substantially complete, we have also achieved in less than three years what I originally thought we would accomplish in five years.

"I would have liked to lead our university through the completion of our strategic plan," he added. "However, over the next ten years, when the university will be pursuing the growth and sustained excellence stages of our strategic plan, Woodbury would need to be led by one or two presidents whose skill sets would be different from mine. Therefore, I have decided to seek other leadership opportunities, where my skill sets at strategy-making and building organizations and systems will add value."

"The Board of Trustees, outgoing President Calingo, incoming Interim President Dauwalder, and the Cabinet are a close-knit team working together to achieve a seamless leadership transition," said David St. Amant, Chairman, Woodbury University Board of Trustees. "We want to express our deep gratitude to Dr. Calingo for his extraordinary service to Woodbury University and for making Woodbury a better place.

"The Board chose Luís Calingo to lead Woodbury because of his visioning and strategic planning competencies, as well as his understanding of the capacity-building needs of the university," St. Amant said. "President Calingo assembled the prior work of the university's various stakeholders into a clear vision, a coherent strategy, and an execution plan. He brought meaningful operational changes to the university and inspired the Woodbury community to be its best self."

An international expert in strategic planning and quality management, Luis Ma. R. Calingo, Ph.D., was selected as the university's 13th president in 2012. A native of the Philippines, Dr. Calingo began his academic career in America - at the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned both an MBA and a Ph.D. As a management professor at California State University, Fresno, he was named dean of the business school, later becoming Dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of international business at California State University, Long Beach. He left Long Beach to become Dean of the Boler School of Business at John Carroll University, the Jesuit University of Cleveland, and, just prior to Woodbury, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif.

"Leading Woodbury University has been the highlight of my career in educational administration," Dr. Calingo said. "Woodbury is rich in both challenges and opportunities, all of which have been addressed in an environment of respectful dialogue and collegial relationships. We all share a common objective: taking students from a diversity of academic and socioeconomic profiles -- the majority of them the first in their families to go to college, completing their studies with the four pillars of Woodbury education, and transforming them into graduates with highly valued degrees that enable them to compete and thrive in almost any environment.

"During these three years, I have been blessed with productive working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, both within and outside Woodbury," he said. "The President's Cabinet has evolved into a cohesive team of vice presidents and deans who think institutionally, work collaboratively, and are committed toward quality and continuous improvement."

In February 2013, Dr. Dauwalder was named Woodbury University's executive vice president and provost. In that capacity, he has acted as the university's chief operating officer, leading its academic enterprise and helping to visualize and refine academic priorities. Dauwalder joined Woodbury from the University of New Haven, where he served as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. His 17 years' experience as provost at public and private institutions includes service at California State University, Stanislaus and Central Washington University, as well as the University of New Haven. Dauwalder earned a Ph.D. in secondary education and master of arts in education from Arizona State University. He completed a bachelor's degree in education from Northern Arizona University.

"While this is a time of transition, it's also an opportunity to affirm the progress the university has made and to emphasize how much clarity of purpose we all share," Dr. Dauwalder said. "It's full speed ahead on the university's ongoing initiatives. The hallmarks of that continuity--from the comprehensive strategic planning process to accreditation milestones to the rebranding initiative to the recent values blueprint--affirm that Woodbury is committed to making a difference in students' lives and continuing on a consensus path to excellence."

About Woodbury University

Founded in 1884, Woodbury University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Southern California. Woodbury offers bachelor's degrees from the School of Architecture, School of Business, School of Media, Culture & Design, and College of Transdisciplinarity, along with a Master of Arts (MA) in Media for Social Justice, Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Interior Architecture (MIA), Master of Science in Architecture (MSArch), and Master of Leadership. The San Diego campus offers Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees, as well as an MSArch degree with concentrations in Real Estate Development and Landscape + Urbanism. Woodbury ranks 15th among the nation's "25 Colleges That Add the Most Value," according to Money Magazine. Visit woodbury.edu for more information.

Media Contact:

Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
(323) 469-3397
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