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University of Washington President Mark Emmert Selected Fifth CEO to Head NCAAFor Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Contact(s)
Bob Williams
Managing Director of Public and Media Relations
317/917-6117
INDIANAPOLIS --- University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert was named today by the NCAA Executive Committee as president of the organization. Emmert will become the fifth CEO of the Association and is expected to assume his duties on November 1, 2010.
Emmert fills a vacancy created by the passing of NCAA President Myles Brand in September 2009 and will take over duties of the office from interim President James L. Isch.
“We are gratified to hire an individual of Mark Emmert’s stature and experience to head the NCAA,” said Executive Committee chair and Oregon State University President Ed Ray. “President Emmert emerged from a field of exceptional candidates who presented a broad range of skills, knowledge and experiences.
“Our options were considerable and the decision was difficult,” Ray said, “but we are confident in our decision that Mark is uniquely qualified to lead the organization.”
Emmert has been president at his alma mater, University of Washington, since 2004 where he has led the university to its standing as second among all public and private institutions in research funding with $1 billion in grants and contracts per year. Prior to his presidency at Washington, he was chancellor at Louisiana State University from 1999 to 2004.
“It is my great honor to accept this assignment,” Emmert said. “It is more than a new job for me. This is special. This is an opportunity to help shape one of the great American institutions.”
A Washington native, President Emmert earned his bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Washington and has both a master’s degree and a Ph.D in public administration from Syracuse University.
Among his administrative appointments in higher education, Emmert was chief operating and academic officer at the University of Connecticut (1995 to 1999), provost and vice-president for academic affairs at Montana State University (1992 to 1995), and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Colorado (1985 to1992).
Included among his many professional activities, Emmert is a member of the Higher Education Working Group on Global Issues as part of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairs the Executive Group of the Worldwide Universities Network, and serves on the National Security Higher Education Advisory Board.
He was a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow, an American Council on Education Fellow, and a J. W. Fulbright Administrative Fellow. He has written extensively on higher education and public administration over a career that spans the last 30 years.
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