Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has provided unmatched coverage of the acquisition of Urbana University since it first broke the story in April. For this story, the paper spoke to university staff, local elected officials and others to explain what the hiring decision will mean for the university.
By the numbers
1850: Year Urbana University was founded
1,800: Approximate number of students served
128: Acres on campus
30: Number of undergraduate programs
Urbana University hired Dr. George Lucas as its next president Monday as it continues to try to secure its financial future after being acquired last year by Franklin University.
Lucas most recently served as vice president of institutional planning and effectiveness at University of the Rockies in Colorado. He will be asked to help develop a strategy for the university as it tries to grow and become financially healthy for the long term, said David Decker, Franklin University president and chairman of the Urbana University board of trustees, in a press release.
Lucas was hired after a six-month search and interview process.
“I consider myself a classically trained business person, an academician, a technologist and someone who’s spent a good deal of my 32-year career preparing for this role,” Lucas said Monday.
In the short-term, Lucas will be asked to help lead the 165-year-old institution through an accreditation process with The Higher Learning Commission, said Christi Cabungcal, chief of staff and senior vice president of administration at Franklin. The goal is to ensure Urbana is fully accredited without any hindrances, she added.
Earlier this year, Urbana was listed among 16 Ohio colleges and universities placed on a federal financial aid watch list by the U.S. Department of Education, flagging it for additional scrutiny. However, university officials argued that status was based on data gathered before it was acquired by Franklin.
In the long term, he will be asked to develop a road map to help the university become financially self-sustaining, although it will continue to operate as a division of Franklin, Cabungcal said.
“Those two pieces, helming the strategic plan and leading the university through its accreditation matters, are going to be the two primary orders of business for Dr. Lucas,” she said.
The university plays an important role in Champaign County’s economy, said Bill Bean, Urbana’s mayor and a 1971 graduate of the school. Along with hundreds of students who live, shop and perform community service locally, it has an estimated $30 million impact on the local economy, Bean added.
But Franklin, in Columbus, acquired the smaller school in April 2014 after Urbana teetered on the edge of closing due to mounting financial woes. Bean said he was not yet familiar with Lucas. But so far, Franklin’s acquisition has led to a more stable campus and improved facilities in Urbana, he added.
“Franklin’s done a wonderful job in bringing the grounds up to date,” Bean said. “They’ve put money toward information technology. They’ve really done a lot facilities-wise for the university.”
Over the past year, Franklin has spent more than $2 million in capital projects to upgrade Urbana’s campus. Among its projects, Franklin improved the wireless Internet at Urbana, began demolishing aging buildings, upgraded dorm rooms and repaved roads.
Lucas said his background in business and data analytics will help him evaluate the university’s needs and whether its programs are effective. He has also worked in fields like education, finance and business administration for firms like AT&T, Lockheed Martin and Motorola.
At the same time, Lucas said one of his first goals will be to listen to community members, faculty and staff members to get more input on what might be needed at Urbana.
“There is a great deal of expertise and very committed individuals within that institution,” Lucas said. “What probably struck me more than anything else was the care that they have taken over the years to serve the students and serve the community at large.”
Lucas will replace Alex Capdeville, who has served as interim president since January.
When it began its search, Franklin officials were looking for a candidate with experience in accreditation, who could assess whether students are learning, and could use that information to improve curriculum, as well as support faculty professional development, Cabungcal said. She said Lucas was selected because he best matched all those needs.
“Dr. Lucas really hit each one of those notes in a very strong way,” Cabungcal said. “There were many things we wanted in a president, but those four were paramount for us.”
About the Author