Announcement Article
Koerwer Named President of Newberry College
From the Newberry College website
Newberry College announced on June 11, 2010, that Dr. V. Scott Koerwer, a senior business school administrator, entrepreneur and authority on leadership and strategy, will become the College's 21st president, effective July 1. He follows Dr. Mitchell Zais, who has served as Newberry's president since 2000. [Dr. John H. Hudgens II has been serving as acting president since February, while President Zais has been on a planned leave of absence.]
The move begins a new era for the College, which has a long tradition of providing educational opportunities for diverse populations of students from around the state and the nation. Newberry is known for the close, personal attention it offers to each of its more than 1,000 undergraduate students. In Dr. Koerwer, the board has selected an entrepreneurial leader who has closely studied the interconnections of professional, business and liberal arts education and has developed innovative academic programs and strategic alliances across university campuses and with universities around the world.
Currently Deputy Dean and Clinical Professor of Management at the University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business, Dr. Koerwer brings a broad range of educational perspectives to the Newberry presidency. He was educated at a leading liberal arts institution, Muhlenberg College and went on to receive his Master's Degree from a leading science and engineering university, Lehigh University. He was awarded his doctorate in education from the internationally recognized University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Koerwer is also an alumnus of the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In addition to the Moore School, he has served as an executive at two leading schools of management: the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Robert Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
"Scott Koerwer brings to Newberry a uniqueness of leadership," said Billy Walker, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Newberry. "He has accomplished great things at colleges and universities of eminence. He will be a young dynamic and enterprising leader. The excitement he brings to campus is going to transform Newberry and add to the 154-year legacy of the College."
In accepting the Board's selection, Dr. Koerwer commented on his appointment. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for me to join the Newberry College community," he said. "We have a solid foundation to build upon. We have the strength of our people -- the students, alumni, faculty and professional staff of Newberry College -- and our values-based Lutheran tradition to create the future of liberal arts education."
"I am pleased to follow the leadership of Mick Zais and John Hudgens," Dr. Koerwer added. "The College owes both men a debt of gratitude for their commitment to moving Newberry forward into the 21st Century. Building on the strength of President Zais' tenure, Newberry College is poised to emerge as a liberal arts college of national prominence and distinction."
During the course of his 20-year career in business and higher education, Dr. Koerwer has established a notable track record of collaboration and accomplishment at each institution he has served.
Most recently at the University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business, he managed a budget in excess of $50M, and led numerous redesign and development initiatives including the school's first inclusive, comprehensive strategic planning process. Continuing his record of establishing international partnerships, he forged an alliance with the University of Tikrit in Iraq, laying historic groundwork for building a new education system for the nation as it works to establish a new education and social infrastructure.
Dr. Koerwer co-launched three companies including a software company focused on knowledge management and back office operations for higher education clients and a boutique consulting and training firm. As a husband and father, he enjoys spending time with his family --including wife, Christine, and two daughters, Rachel and Julia. "We are all looking forward to being part of the Newberry community!" he adds.
###
Myers McRae assisted Newberry College in this national presidential search. The lead consultant was Jon McRae.