TU fires president
BY WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
9/13/12 at 3:36 AM
The University of Tulsa has fired Geoffrey Orsak as president of the institution effective immediately, the school announced Wednesday evening.
No reason for the termination was announced.
TU Executive Vice President Kevan Buck has been authorized by the board to manage the day-to-day operations of the university.
The school announced Tuesday that Orsak had been granted a leave of absence “to attend to a very serious health matter of his father in Dallas.”
No reason for Orsak’s termination was included in Wednesday’s announcement.
The TU board of trustees named Orsak, 49, the school’s 18th president in May, and he took office July 1.
Previously, he had been dean of the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University.
He announced his goal was to put the University of Tulsa among the elite colleges and universities in the nation.
“All of the ingredients are here for this university to emerge as a true superstar in American higher education,” Orsak said at the press conference announcing his appointment.
“I feel that the best days for TU are still ahead,” he said. “We’re just absolutely excited to get started.”
The product of humble beginnings, Orsak said college — he earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering from Rice University — transformed his life.
As a researcher, Orsak specialized in applied mathematics that set the stage for the wireless revolution.
In 1997, he began a transition into collegiate administration. He was appointed in 2008 by the Secretary of Energy to the National Petroleum Council. He has served on various study groups and panels for the National Academy of Engineering and has served as a Department of Defense Science and Engineering Advisor through his participation on the Defense Science Study Group.
Orsak is married to Dr. Catherine Orsak. They have two children, Mary Elizabeth, 12, and Peter, 8.
Associated Images:
Geoffrey Orsak
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