CLU Selects New Leader to Serve as Sixth President; John Sladek, Ph.D., Comes From University of Colorado at Denver.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- John Sladek of Evergreen, Colo., has been named President and Chief Executive Officer at California Lutheran University, announced William Kane, Chair of the Board of Regents. E[acute accent]Sladek, who is currently Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, will serve as the sixth leader of the 47-year-old comprehensive university in Thousand Oaks. The Board of Regents approved the selection of Sladek after meeting with the 11-member presidential search committee chaired by Regent Kate McLean. He will begin his official duties on Aug. 15. E[acute accent]A renowned researcher and a successful administrator, Sladek's scholarly work is in the field of neurology and anatomy. He has served as Vice Chancellor of Research and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at University of Colorado at Denver since 2001. Previously, he held faculty leadership positions at Chicago Medical School (1991-2001) and University of Rochester (1982-1991). E[acute accent]An undergraduate alumnus of Carthage College with degrees in biology and chemistry, Sladek received his master of science in biostructure from Northwestern University Medical School in 1968. He went on to receive his doctorate in anatomy from Chicago Medical School in 1971. His teaching, researching and publishing career began at Chicago Medical School and continued at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. E[acute accent]In Rochester, Chicago and Denver, Dr. Sladek has shown a strategic aptitude for leading successful programs and campus building campaigns. He is currently involved in the construction of a new 400-acre, $2 billion campus while overseeing the consolidation of two Denver campuses to create an urban university of distinction with a liberal arts component. He has also been charged with developing a new office that oversees all research for a nationally ranked biomedical enterprise. E[acute accent]He is still closely connected to his Lutheran undergraduate alma mater as a 10-year member of the Carthage College Board of Trustees, where he serves as chair of the Division of Natural Sciences Advisory Committee. E[acute accent]One of Sladek's goals as president will be to lead CLU in increasing its national rankings by creating more master's degree and doctoral programs with a special focus on expanding the sciences and the arts.