September 18, 1997 - MnSCU fills three senior staff positions; Michael Vekich elected new chair of Board of Trustees

Key senior staff positions were filled today by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees. Chancellor Morris Anderson set filling the posts as priorities when he became chancellor in July.

The appointments, all effective in November, include:

Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Linda Baer.

She is currently senior vice president for academic and students affairs at Bemidji State University. Baer has been at the Bemidji State for six years and holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Washington State University. In her new post, she becomes responsible for managing education policy and academic programs across the MnSCU system.

Provost of the University Center Rochester Dale Bower.

She is vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York College of Technology in Canton, N.Y. The University Center Rochester is a joint program of MnSCU and the University of Minnesota. The appointment of the first Rochester provost was approved by the U of M Board of Regents Friday and the MnSCU board today.

Executive Director of Internal Auditing John Asmussen.

He is now deputy legislative auditor, Financial Audit Division of the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor. Asmussen, a licensed CPA, has worked on the legislative auditor's staff since 1976. He will be responsible at MnSCU for providing information to the board and chancellor regarding the efficiency, economy and effectiveness of operations and compliance with policies, statutes and regulations.

The Board of Trustees also unanimously elected Michael Vekich as the chair of the MnSCU board.

Vekich has been a member of the board since 1996. He holds an A.A. degree from Hibbing Junior College, now Hibbing Community College, and a bachelor's degree in accounting and business administration from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Vekich is an owner and chief executive officer of Vekich Arkema, a CPA and management advisory firm.

MnSCU is the largest single provider of higher education in the state of Minnesota, comprising community colleges, technical colleges, comprehensive community and technical colleges and state universities.