p. Dr. Galan (Lanny) Janeksela has been appointed to serve as interim campus president at West Virginia University Institute of Technology after the retirement of current Tech President Dr. Karen LaRoe on July 1, 2004, University officials announced.

Dr. Janeksela will also continue to serve in his current position as vice president of academic affairs at Tech during his appointment.

I am very honored to have been selected as interim campus president for Tech. Since joining Tech in July of 2003, I have grown to love Tech and the community,Janeksela said.Tech is an outstanding institution that has excellent academic programs, and has a very strong reputation in the state, the region, and at the nation level. The faculty are committed to teaching excellence, and the faculty and staff are strongly committed to the success of our students. Once a student comes here, we want them to stay. We see it as our responsibility to provide the support systems that give students the best chance to succeed. We also want more parents and students to know about what Tech has to offer. Marketing Techs academic programs and recruiting students to Tech is one of our priorities for this next year.

Janeksela holds a B.A. in sociology with a minor in business administration from the University of Minnesota (Duluth), an M.S. in corrections (sociology) from Mankato State College, and a Ph.D. in sociology from Iowa State University.

He is a member of Alpha Kappa Gamma Sociology Honor Society. He served as chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and as dean of the College of Health and Human Services at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He has an extensive research and publication record, and a community service record that demonstrates strong engagement with a variety of organizations related to criminal justice, health, workforce development and economic development.

In his role as interim president, Janeksela will be responsible for the leadership and management of Tech in areas of strategic planning, fiscal and physical plant management, fund raising for academic and scholarship support, academic program development and quality control, accreditation, faculty and staff development, student programming in academic support and recreation, enrollment management, and campus climate.

In his role as the vice president for academic affairs, Janeksela will continue with his responsibilities for all academic programming, faculty recruitment and hiring, faculty evaluation and promotion, and several programs which support academic affairs (e.g. distance learning, library services, communications, computer infrastructure, student support services, financial aid, registrar and enrollment management, admissions, human resources, equal opportunity and social justice programs).