Date:
4/8/2005
Contact: Wendel Sloan at 505.562.2253
PORTALES — Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian, 52, has been named as the new vice president for Academic Affairs at Eastern New Mexico University. He will replace the retiring Dr. K. Paul Jones after the new fiscal year begins on July 1.
Vartabedian, who has a 1981 Ph.D. in communication from the University of Oklahoma, is currently the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina University, and also served as the interim vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at Western Carolina University. He is also a professor of communication. As dean, he oversees 14 academic departments and four centers with 194 full-time and 90 part-time faculty members.
"We are extremely pleased to have attracted someone the caliber of Dr. Vartabedian," said Dr. Steven Gamble, ENMU president. "With his years of experience in a variety of academic responsibilities, we feel that he is a great fit to continue and enhance Eastern's innovative and progressive approach to education. We are also very appreciative of the contributions that Dr. K. Paul Jones made during his tenure, and look forward to Dr. Vartabedian providing a seamless transition in continuing Eastern's outstanding academic reputation in serving the educational needs of the region."
From 1988 – 99 Vartabedian worked at West Texas A&M University, serving as a professor of speech communication, director of Graduate Studies in Communication, and head of the Department of Art, Communication and Theatre.
Vartabedian has a 1980 master's degree in speech communication from Wichita State University, and a 1974 bachelor's degree in speech communication from California State University-Fresno.
He has also held positions at Wichita State University and East Central Oklahoma State University.
Among his many honors and activities, Vartabedian has received the University Teaching Excellence Award from West Texas A&M University in 1996, the 1994 Carnegie Foundation Professor of the Year while at West Texas A&M, has delivered over 150 public workshops and presentations on public speaking, and was a public speaking consultant for the Department of Energy.
Vartabedian also attended the 2004 Harvard Institute of Educational Management.