Sunday, July 22, 2001
Porada hopes to keep Heidelberg moving forward
By Jefferson Wolfe
Staff Writer
Heidelberg College's interim president says he wants to provide continuity and keep the school moving in the same direction it has been.
Kenneth J. Porada, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, was named interim president Thursday, following the resignation of Richard H. Owens.
"I agreed to take on this position because I have a great degree of confidence in Heidelberg College," Porada said. He wants to keep the college moving forward.
In naming an interim president, the board felt that stability would be important, he said.
Porada has been at Heidelberg since 1988 and has been in his current position for 11 years.
In the job, he has been in charge of the largest division of the college. It covers curriculum, faculty, students, administration of programs (graduate, undergraduate and others), and academic support areas.
"My office of academic affairs is responsible for the academic life of the college," Porada said.
While his current job requires interacting with people inside the college, the president is responsible for external interaction, Porada said. He will be working with alumni and governmental agencies, and be responsible for fund raising and public relations.
"It is a major step in responsibility, but at the same time, I believe I know the college very well," he said. "I feel I can handle the responsibility of the position. It is a major step up in responsibility. There's no question about that."
Initially, Porada plans to talk to the faculty, staff and students. He wants to allow them to have input into the school's direction.
For the first year, he wants to focus on several things, including:
n Completing several building projects on campus. Finishing Williard Hall is one of the projects. A second is an addition to Heidelberg's science facility, called Gillmor Hall. In connection with that, the other science buildings are to be renovated. Finally, he discussed plans to build a student recreation center. It will be combined with renovations to the college's athletic facilities. A new indoor track is to be built with tennis and volleyball courts in the center.
* Sustaining the growth of student enrollment. He wants not only to keep the number of new students high, but also continue to enroll students with good academic credentials.
* Maintaining a focus on the academic climate on the campus by continuing programs like the honors program and Mindscape.
Porada described his leadership style as being collegial, rather than top-down. He said he trusts the other vice presidents to effectively operate their divisions.
Is he interested in taking the job on a permanent basis? Perhaps, he said, depending on how his year as interim president goes. The board did ask him about the possibility.
"I said to them that I certainly would want to consider that as a possibility," Porada said. "I did appreciate the statement of confidence in me."