Grand Valley State University installed Thomas J. Haas as its fourth president last Friday.
Hass took over for Mark Murray, who served as president for five years.
Haas said Grand Valley is seeking more global opportunities, striving for increased diversity and continuing to make environmentally and fiscally responsible decisions.
"We will take our liberal education foundation, our values, our commitment to excellence, and our aspirations, and be on the national landscape as an institution of choice in Michigan and well beyond," he said. "We are a comprehensive university of extraordinary quality."
Haas told the audience during his induction why a liberal education is so important. "What makes our liberal education commitment so relevant is that it equips students with the ability to adapt," he said. "If our students have critical thinking skills, are able to communicate, work in teams, work with technology, and understand and appreciate diversity, they are ready to face the complex realities of the world in which they will lead."
Haas was most-recently the president of the State University of New York Cobleskill. He graduated with honors in 1973 from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. He received his master's of science in environmental health sciences from the University of Michigan. He received a master's degree in science in human resource management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a PhD in Chemistry from University of Connecticut.
Source: GVSU
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