COLUMBIA, Mo. – UM System President Mun Choi today announced the appointment of Dr. Christopher Maples, former president of the Oregon Institute of Technology, as the interim chancellor of Missouri University of Science and Technology. Dr. Maples will take over as interim chancellor succeeding current Chancellor Cheryl B. Schrader, who previously accepted the position as president of Wright State University.
“I am pleased that Dr. Maples has agreed to serve as interim chancellor of our outstanding Rolla campus at this pivotal time,” said President Choi. “During his long and distinguished career in higher education, Dr. Maples has been held in high regard by individuals who have experienced his inclusive style of leadership. He is credited with bringing important changes to Oregon Institute of Technology during his tenure as president, including growing research, strengthening academic programs, building highly effective relationships with elected officials and healing divisions among faculty and staff during a time of extraordinary change. We are fortunate to have him at Missouri S&T.”
Dr. Maples’ appointment as interim chancellor, approved yesterday by the University of Missouri Board of Curators, is for one year. He will not be a candidate for the permanent chancellor position. A national search for a permanent Missouri S&T chancellor will begin in the fall.
Dr. Maples served as president of Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT) from 2008 until his retirement on December 31, 2016, leading the public polytechnic university through a period of record enrollment growth, the opening of an additional campus, the launching of new degree programs and transitioning the school to a new governing board model. Prior to his presidency at OIT, Maples spent five years at the Desert Research Institute and Nevada System of Higher Education, lastly as Executive Vice-President for Research. From 1998-2003, he served as Chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at Indiana University, and was a program director at the National Science Foundation from 1995-1998.
Dr. Maples received his doctorate and masters degrees in geology from Indiana University in 1985. He is also a 1980 graduate of West Georgia College, where he received his bachelors degree in geology.
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Reviewed 2017-05-01