New Roosevelt president to review Schaumburg campus plan
Roosevelt University's newly named president-elect, Ali R. Malekzadeh, plans to get up to date with the school's revised vision for its Schaumburg campus when he succeeds Charles R. Middleton this summer.
"Honestly, I have to spend some time learning more about that," Malekzadeh said Thursday, hours after being selected by Roosevelt's board of trustees. "It's been a whirlwind of activity. But I was very happy to see that campus there. It's a wonderful facility."
Roosevelt administrators spent last fall working out the details of repurposing the Schaumburg campus. They ultimately decided that the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Business would retain a strong presence on the campus, which also serves as the home base for the university's College of Pharmacy.
The university plans to move other programs to its downtown Chicago campus, and lease space in Schaumburg to other institutions.
Malekzadeh said that during a visit to the Schaumburg campus, he recognized how much the months of uncertainty weighed on the minds of students there.
With its location near Woodfield Mall, Malekzadeh said he sees the campus as an important center of education for businesses in the area, and is looking forward to discussing such opportunities with Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson.
He also expects Roosevelt's founding principles of diversity, access and social justice to remain central to its ongoing mission.
Malekzadeh comes to Roosevelt from Kansas State University, where he serves as dean of the College of Business Administration. In Roosevelt's announcement of his selection, the college touts his expertise in fundraising.
Malekzadeh said that is an area of increasing importance for both private and public universities. In fact, it's come to occupy about half of his current duties at Kansas State.
Also an expert on strategic management, Malekzadeh is a 59-year-old Iranian American who has been a business dean at private and public universities for 17 years.
In addition to working at Kansas State since 2011, he also was dean of business at Xavier University in Cincinnati for eight years and dean of business at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minnesota for five years.
In a written statement, Roosevelt University board of trustees Chairman James J. Mitchell III called Malekzadeh "a visionary academic leader" whose values, experience, fundraising accomplishments and commitment to students make him the ideal person to lead the university.
"The board of trustees is delighted that Dr. Malekzadeh has accepted our invitation to join Roosevelt and we look forward to working with him," he said.
Patricia Harris, chair of Roosevelt's Presidential Search Committee, said Malekzadeh's management expertise and successful record of achievement resonated strongly with the committee.
"During his conversations with the committee and with constituencies across the university, it became clear that his collegial disposition, strategic insights and natural affinity for the Roosevelt community identified him as the resounding choice to serve as Roosevelt's next president," she said.
Malekzadeh and his wife, Afsaneh Nahavandi, have been married for 37 years and have two grown daughters, Parisa and Arianne, and one granddaughter.
Middleton, who is retiring on June 30, has been in higher education for 50 years - the last 13 of which have been as Roosevelt's president.