Date: June 8, 2007
Governors State University
Contact: Eric Matanyi
Phone: (708) 534-4044
Email: e-matanyi@govst.edu
Fax: (708) 534-8399
For Immediate Release
University Park, Illinois, June 8, 2007 – President Stuart I. Fagan and President Designate Elaine P. Maimon announced today that Dr. Gebeyehu “Gebe” Ejigu has been appointed to the newly created position of Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff effectively immediately.
In that position, Dr. Ejigu will be the primary advisor to President Designate Maimon, who will assume the presidency of GSU on July 1, on all administrative and university business matters, and will chair significant university-wide committees. Dr. Ejigu will lead GSU’s executive team and will be responsible for executive level direction and management of Budget and Financial Planning, Administrative Services and Planning, Financial Services, Business Operations, Procurement and Auxiliary Services, Information Technology Services, Human Resources, Facility Operations and Capital Projects, and Public Safety. He will also oversee the planning and management of the university budget, strategic plan, institutional research, and management of Board of Trustees relations.
Prior to joining Governors State University, Dr. Ejigu served along side Dr. Maimon in similar positions at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Arizona State University West.
Dr. Stuart I. Fagan said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Gebe Ejigu to GSU. Elaine Maimon and he have established an excellent track record together. Their combined leadership and vision will serve the university, its students, faculty, staff, and the community well.”
President Designate Maimon echoed Fagan’s response and added, “I’m delighted that Gebe has decided to join the GSU team. His life-long commitment to quality education for first-generation college students is a perfect match for GSU. His experience in higher education is both deep and broad, with wisdom gained through top administrative positions in Missouri, Arizona, and Alaska. The Chicago area has been near and dear to him from the time he worked his way through graduate school by driving a taxi around the Chicago area.”
In addition to his leadership as an administrator, Dr. Ejigu has maintained an active role in the communities in which he has resided in and plans to continue his community involvement in the Chicago Southland.
“I envision many new opportunities to grow Governors State University and expand its positive impact on the region. We will build on the already strong foundation laid by our predecessors,” said Ejigu. “I look forward to helping Governors State University continue to move in a positive direction as a leader in education and community service,” he added.
Dr. Ejigu received his B.B.A. in Management from Halie Selassie I University in Ethiopia in 1970. He completed his M.B.A. at Syracuse University in 1971 and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1980.
Dr. Ejigu now resides in Crete, Illinois.
