Release date: July 30, 2003
Contact: Nancy Seideman, Director, University Media Relations,
at 404-727-0640 or nseidem@emory.edu

Emory University Selects New President

Emory University has selected James W. Wagner, provost and vice president of Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland), as its next president. Wagner will take office at the beginning of the academic year in August when he succeeds William M. Chace, who is retiring to the faculty after nine years as president.

Wagner was selected following an eight-month, national search, and his appointment was approved today by the university's board of trustees. According to Board Chairman Ben Johnson, the search committee considered some 150 individuals, held in-person interviews with 15 candidates and narrowed the list to four finalists before Wagner emerged as the committee's unanimous choice.

"This is someone who understands higher education, someone who understands the uniqueness of Emory's heritage and the role Emory can play, someone who is very ambitious for Emory to achieve its potential, and someone who has got the ability, energy and ambition to take it there," says Johnson.

"Emory is in a special moment in its history where it has the opportunity to be recognized as a leader in higher education as a research-oriented and values-driven university, an educational institution of the highest order, and I am excited to be a part of setting that vision," says Wagner.

He has been provost and vice president at Case Western Reserve––the university's top academic officer and second-in-command––since September 2000. During his tenure as provost, Wagner was tapped for a 15-month term as interim president of the university.

"All university presidents feel they have a passion for what higher education should mean for society globally, not just locally, and they're looking for platforms where they can help lead and make a difference," says Wagner. "One of my chief jobs is to articulate a vision for the institution, and I look forward to working toward that in partnership with faculty, staff, alumni and students, all of whom are committed to Emory."

Expanding technology transfer and partnership opportunities for university researchers is an initiative that Wagner hopes to continue at Emory.

Key initiatives that Wagner led while provost and interim president at Case Western Reserve include:
• Establishment of a commission to enhance undergraduate education and student life, including curriculum revision
• Enhancement and restructuring of the university's technology transfer operations
• Creation of the Postdoctoral Researchers Association
• Formation of a presidential advisory commission of staff, faculty and students on women and minorities in the university
• Planning for a capital campaign
• Completion of a campus master plan
• Development of BioEnterprise, a joint venture of Case, University Hospitals and the Cleveland Clinic

Prior to becoming provost, he spent two years as dean of Case Western Reserve's Case School of Engineering after a 13-year career on the engineering faculty of Johns Hopkins University, where he was chairman of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering for four years and held a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Wagner holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware, along with a master's degree in clinical engineering and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Johns Hopkins. He is 50 years old.Wagner and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters. Wagner's parents and his younger brother and his family all live in the Atlanta area.

Emory University is a highly selective, comprehensive research university in Atlanta known for its academically demanding undergraduate college, highly ranked professional schools and world-class research facilities. For more than a decade, Emory has been named one of the country's top 25 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, a comprehensive metropolitan health care system.

Note: An electronic version of Wagner's photo is available as a jpeg to be e-mailed to media.

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