UF Board Re-Elects Officers, Members; Adds New Member; Names Two Emeriti

Membership actions dominated the Friday, May 4, meeting of The University of Findlay’s Board of Trustees. The board re-elected its officers, Dr. C. Richard Beckett, chair; A.R. Charnes, vice chair; C. Sue Pirschel, secretary; and Martin Terry, treasurer, each for a two-year term.

Re-elected to the board to serve from 2012-2015 were Beckett, Jo Ann Davidson, Michael E. Harrington, John Haywood, Mary Ruth Lehman, Penny S. Mosher, Tim Nesler, Michael G. Oxley, George M. Showers, Ed Urbaniak, Harold P. Wolfe, Brian L. Young and Charles J. Younger.

The trustees accepted, with regret and appreciation, the resignation of Richard E. White, who had served on the board since May 1996. White had served 10 years as vice chair of the board, from 2001 to 2011; and also served 12 years as co-chair of the Business Committee and as a member of the Buildings and Grounds Committee; Architectural Committee, which he recommended for implementation in 1996; and Compensation Committee.

He also contributed to the success of the Working Together for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign during 1996-2001 as co-chair of solicitation for firms and corporations. White, who had received an honorary doctorate in 2006 for his service and leadership, was elected trustee emeritus in appreciation for his 16 years of faithful service. The board also accepted, with appreciation for their service, the resignations of members Don Carter and Thomas Weissling, who had each served as a trustee for nine years.

The board elected Dr. Michael C. Walker of Harrisburg, Pa., as a new member of the board. Walker is senior pastor of the Bowmansdale Church of God. He previously served as a UF trustee from 1986-97, and is a current board and adjunct faculty member of Winebrenner Theological Seminary, which he has served since 1999. Walker holds an associate’s degree in religion and bachelor’s degrees in religion and psychology from then-Findlay College. He attended Winebrenner and completed a master of divinity degree at the Evangelical School of Theology in Myerstown, Pa., as well as a doctor of ministry degree from Bethany Theological Seminary, Dothan, Ala.

Also Friday, the board granted professor emeritus status to Dr. John Malacos, professor of psychology, following his retirement at the end of the academic year.

A professor of psychology since 1996, Malacos has chaired his department since 2000. During 2010-11, he served as the Dr. Richard E. Wilkin Chair in the College of Liberal Arts, carrying out a project titled “The Power of Positive: A Celebration of Human Goodness,” which drew many people from throughout the area to celebrate the good in human relationships.

Noted for his outstanding teaching, Malacos received the David Allen Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010 and the Founders’ Academic Excellence Award in 2002. He was responsible for forming the Psy-Key Club in 2001 and a new chapter of the Psi Chi national honorary society in 2006, and continued to serve as adviser to both groups. He also had served as a leader with freshman service projects since 2003.

In addition, Malacos maintains a private practice as a psychologist and offers workshops and seminars on stress, burnout and wellness; the effects of divorce on children; death and dying; dealing with grief and loss; and counseling the elderly, among others. He is active in the community and has served as president of the United Way Board of Trustees, the Findlay Rotary Board and the board of the Marilyn and Gordon Macklin Institute for Intergenerational Studies, among others. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Eastern Michigan University and both a master’s in counseling and a doctorate in counseling psychology from Michigan State University.