The search committee at Urbana University announced that after a six-month nationwide search, Dr. George Lucas has been selected as the next president of Urbana University.
Lucas stood out for his proven leadership and experience in accreditation, strategic academic expansion and fiscal policy. His record of achievement, personal history and values set him apart as the clear choice for the position. He joins Urbana University from the University of the Rockies, where he was chief of staff, vice president of Institutional Planning and Effectiveness, and faculty. He will assume the office of president at Urbana University on July 15, succeeding Dr. Alex Capdeville, who has been interim president since January.
“The board of trustees keenly believes Dr. George Lucas is the person we need to lead Urbana University’s successful future,” said Dr. David Decker, Franklin University president and Urbana University Board of Trustees chair. “Dr. Lucas is a compelling leader with a comprehensive strategic planning background that will serve the university well as it creates a strategy that facilitates growth and long-term institutional health.”
Lucas has worked in the higher education sector and corporate business environment over 30 years in a wide range of executive leadership positions. He worked domestically as well as internationally in the fields of education, business administration, finance, operations, engineering, project management, and systems design and development for Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Motorola, Apollo Group, EDMC, and Bridgepoint Education. He has lectured throughout the United States, as well as internationally, on topics that include evolving trends in higher education, project management, corporate strategy, Internet security, finance and accounting, organizational development, and goal-based performance management.
His higher education leadership includes nearly 20 years of comprehensive experience in a wide range of executive leadership roles including positions in institutional effectiveness, strategic planning, academic quality, and assessment. In his current roles at the University of the Rockies in Colorado, he developed and launched the five-year Strategy and Effectiveness Plan, assessed and evaluated overall strategic outlook to meet and support accreditation, compliance and institutional obligations, created systems and best practices for institutional effectiveness, provided oversight for key functional areas within the institution, including Operations, Finance and Academic Affairs, and created and implemented a convergence model and strategy for seamless strategic planning.
Lucas holds a doctorate of business administration from Nova Southeastern University, a master of business administration from the University of South Florida, and a bachelor of sociology from the University of South Carolina.
He is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, American Statistical Association, Association for Institutional Research, and American Society for Quality.
