Central Washington University Announces New President

Central Washington University in Ellensburg has a new leader. The board of trustees Thursday announced the appointment of A. James Wohlpart as the university’s 15th president. A press release says Wohlpart currently serves as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and was interim president at UNI from July 2016 to January 2017.
Ron Erickson, the board chair says Wohlpart's academic and leadership experience in higher education made him the most attractive candidate. The release from the school says Wohlpart holds "a PhD in English from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, an MA in English from Colorado State University, and a BA in English and Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.
Before serving at UNI, Wohlpart was dean of undergraduate studies at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) from 2011-2015; he served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 2005-2011 and chair of the Division of Humanities and Arts from 2000-2005."
The president-designate will hold Zoom webinars with faculty, staff, and students on January 14-15. The press release says "Wohlpart said he wasn’t looking for a new position when a colleague made him aware of the CWU opportunity. He said CWU’s award-winning faculty and staff, commitment to teaching and learning, and the historic and beautiful setting in the Kittitas Valley made it an opportunity he and his wife, Sasha, couldn’t resist."

“Central's core mission of educational opportunity and elevating student success through experiential learning and academic excellence strongly align with my goals as an educator,” he said. “Central believes in the transformative power of higher education, as do I, and I look forward to creating educational opportunities for all students.”
His annual salary will be $400,000.
The current President, James Gaudino plans to retire in July.