Dr. Stan Liberty Named Interim President

Bradley University has announced Dr. Stan Liberty will become Interim President effective June 1. President Joanne Glasser will retire on May 31.

Dr. Liberty served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Bradley from 1998-2005. In 2005 he left Bradley to become President of Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, where he served six years at the helm. After his retirement in 2011, Dr. Liberty and his wife Angie returned to Peoria and in 2014 he re-joined Bradley as a part-time member of the faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Dr. Liberty will serve in the interim role until a new president is appointed. A nationwide search is underway to find President Glasser’s successor.

When approached with this opportunity, Dr. Liberty immediately said yes. He said “I am very fond of Bradley because my years here were some of the very best of my career. Taking direction from the Board of Trustees, together with other administrators I will focus on Bradley’s most pressing challenges that should not be put on hold during the interim period and are not likely to conflict with the vision and plans of an incoming president.”

Bradley Board of Trustees Chairman Doug Stewart said he is pleased to make this announcement. “Stan is well known throughout Peoria and the campus community. He has a proven record of success and will provide Bradley with experienced leadership and stability during this transition.”

Dr. Liberty received his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame, and, in 2005, was recognized by his Alma Mater with the College of Engineering Honor Award for “significant contributions to the advancement of engineering, or meritorious achievements in engineering.”

He has had an impressive and extensive career in higher education serving as Dean of Engineering for 13 ½ years and later Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. At Old Dominion University, he served as Department Chair of Electrical Engineering, and at Texas Tech he was a faculty member, founding director of Texas Tech’s Center for Energy Research and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

During his seven and one-half years as Provost at Bradley, Dr. Liberty was highly involved in the local community. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce where he served as chairman of the Transportation Committee and member of the Business Advisory Committee. He also served on the Peoria Civic Federation Transportation Committee, was part of the Peoria NEXT founding team and a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Peoria Area World Affairs Council.