CHICAGO – As Americans headed to the polls Tuesday, the University chose a president of its own.

B. Joseph White, former interim president of the University of Michigan and dean of its business school for 10 years, was named the University’s 16th president at a ceremony at the University of Illinois-Chicago campus Tuesday morning. White later attended a similar ceremony at the Urbana-Champaign campus.

The Board of Trustees will vote on White’s approval next Thursday, Nov. 11.

He was chosen from among 120 candidates following a seven-month search, said board chair Larry Eppley. He will succeed retiring University President James Stukel in February.

White said he and his wife Mary were excited that he was taking over the University’s highest position.

“The University of Illinois is a historic, consequential, dynamic, overachieving institution,” he said. “Everything I’ve come to love about higher education, the University of Illinois does on a large scale and with excellence.

“It’s an election day I’ll never forget,” he said.

Eppley said of all the candidates considered by the presidential search committee and the Board of Trustees, there was one clear choice.

“Joe brings Midwestern values and sensibilities to the job, knows how Big Ten and major research universities operate and has demonstrated an ability to raise funds from friends and alumni of a university to provide the margin of excellence in a time of less reliance on state support,” Eppley said.

Eppley also said that White is a good fit for the position.

“All in all, Joe White fits the criterion, qualifications and expectations set out in the white paper,” Eppley said, referring to the University search committee’s list of qualities it wanted in a new president. “Or to say it another way, our white paper describes Joe White.”

Stukel said the University will be lucky to have White.

“I believe the University has made a great leap forward by naming Joe and Mary to be the president and spouse of the University,” he said.

A Detroit native, White graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 1969, then earned his MBA with distinction from Harvard University in 1971. After college, White worked for the University of Michigan as a professor of organizational behavior and industrial relations and held a number of private sector jobs. After White served 10 years as dean of the business school there, he was named the university’s interim president from 2001 to 2002.

White has two adult children and two grandchildren. He said he will live with his wife in the President’s house in Urbana.

When White ended his term as Michigan’s interim president, a Michigan Daily newspaper editorial said he “performed with a distinctive flair and passion which represented the best qualities of the university.”

In particular, the editorial praised White for “responding quickly and politely” to student protesters during a graduate student walkout, demonstrations concerning the arrest of a Michigan basketball player and a Supreme Court case that scuttled Michigan’s affirmative-action policy.

“White’s enthusiasm for interacting with students and the rapport he built with the university community stand as examples of how best to maintain a sense of honesty between the administration, the community and the student body,” the editorial stated.

Telephone calls to the current dean and faculty members of Michigan’s business school were not returned Tuesday afternoon.

One issue that White will face as University president is minimizing cuts in the University’s budget in the face of reduced state funding. White said he wants to balance making the University as accessible as possible and maintaining educational quality.

“My dual focus is going to be access and excellence,” he said. “Access is, in part, determined by affordability for students and by financial aid. But excellence also requires the resources. There’s no point in holding tuition down to zero increases if we end up with an institution that students don’t want to attend or graduate from.”

Minority enrollment is another important issue, White said. Recent figures show a decrease in the number of minorities enrolling at the University – a trend White said he will work to change.

“I think diversity on campus is critical to having a great learning environment,” White said. “I think we need to have aggressive outreach to all members of the state and beyond so they know that they’re welcome at our university and that they can get a decent education.”

He also said he wants to reach out to the entire campus community, from alumni and students to faculty and oft-ignored staff.

“I never forget that every day in an institution the size of the University of Illinois there are people who don’t get a lot of recognition who really make an important difference in the quality of the place – nurses, technicians, aides, secretaries, support staff of all kinds, custodians,” he said. “I want to take an opportunity to meet those people and express my appreciation for what they do to our University.”

White said one way he wants to reach out to students is to occasionally give guest lectures at the University’s three campuses in 2005. This semester, White is teaching a business school course at the University of Michigan called “personalized medicine,” which examines recent discoveries and innovations in medicine.

“I’d really like to get acquainted with students, not just in a social setting but a work setting,” he said.

When asked his position on Chief Illiniwek, White said, “You know, as I said earlier, I have a lot to learn, I have a lot of listening to do. The Chief falls into that category.”

BIO BOX:

B. Joseph White named 16th University president

Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, Georgetown University, 1969

Master’s degree in business administration, with distinction, Harvard University, 1971

Dean of University of Michigan business school, 1991-2001

University of Michigan interim president, 2001-2002