Jan. 6, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- On Monday, Jan. 6, the day he officially took
office as interim president of Western Michigan University, Dr.
Daniel M. Litynski issued the message below to the WMU campus
community.
Western Michigan is a great University with a proud history,
dynamic present and a bright future. We have been blessed with
visionary leadership over the years, and an outstanding leader
has just departed. We wish Dr. Elson Floyd the best as he assumes
his new duties in Missouri.
Our University has had great leadership in its first 100 years,
and we will continue to have great leadership in the years to
come. The search for our next outstanding president has already
begun, and the Board of Trustees is committed to a comprehensive
and expeditious search process.
While this search proceeds, our core mission and business
as a student-centered research university will continue. There
are many ongoing and significant challenges and opportunities
that we will address during this interim period. In today's dynamic
environment, an organization either moves forward or falls behind.
Western Michigan University is committed to moving forward.
It is important to remember that our University is a team.
Each member of the team is tremendously important. But even when
a key member leaves us, we can and will continue to grow and
prosper because, as a team, we are dedicated to the whole--the
sum of all the wonderful and diverse parts that make this institution
what it is. Such growth is a true indication of the healthy,
learning organization that Western Michigan University is and
will continue to be. I am confident that as colleagues, we will
each continue to do our part to ensure this University's success
in the months and years to come.
We ask for your support, thoughts and prayers as we continue
to implement the mission of the University over the next few
months. We extend our thanks for all that you do for this great
University as we begin our centennial year.
With best wishes in our centennial year.
Sincerely,
Daniel M. Litynski
Interim President