Former chancellor Werner to receive SIUE honorary degree

From Illinois Business Journal news services

EDWARDSVILLE – Dr. David Werner will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville at its May 2015 commencement.

“David Werner has over 40 years of experience and expertise in higher education, and his achievements while at SIUE are pivotal to the University’s history,” SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe said. “Dr. Werner has contributed a great deal toward making SIUE’s reality one of increasing distinction.”

The SIU board of trustees recently approved the presentation.

Werner has been a significant contributor to the growth of SIUE, from his initial hiring in 1968 as an assistant professor, to his retirement as chancellor emerita in 2004. During his tenure, he held several positions within the University, including: associate professor of management science, dean of the SIUE School of Business, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, and finally, chancellor.

During his post as dean of the SIUE School of Business, the accounting department obtained its first accreditation, becoming the only accredited school of accounting in the St. Louis area prior to 1996. Werner was responsible for a number of significant advances within the School of Business including: achieving master’s level accreditation, developing a new system for faculty evaluation and salary increase determination, and initiating a curriculum review process which majorly reformed the School’s undergraduate program.

Werner served as the sixth chancellor of SIUE, from 1997 to 2004. As chancellor, Werner notably shifted the perception of the University as a commuter college to a residential one. For the first time during fall 1998, the number of residential students outnumbered those who commuted. Two residence halls, Prairie Hall and Bluff Hall, were constructed to accommodate for this growth.

As chancellor, Werner achieved additional milestones, including the expansion of the health sciences curriculum with the construction of the SIUE School of Pharmacy. Also, the SAT scores of incoming freshmen increased above the national average.

After retiring as chancellor in 2004, Werner continued his efforts on behalf of higher education:

– Served as visiting researcher in human resources and public policy development at Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan
– Served as interim president at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
– Served as interim provost, and later interim president, of Indiana University of Pennsylvania