Published April 1, 2007

St. Gregory’s Names Wagie as New President

SHAWNEE — St. Gregory’s University has a new president. SGU’s board of directors voted unanimously earlier this month to hire Dr. Dave Wagie as its 14th president. The hiring ends an eight-month, nationwide search during which approximately 500 applications and recommendations were evaluated.

Wagie, 57, will begin his duties as president April 2. He replaces Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., who last year was affirmed chancellor of the university. Abbot Lawrence, abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey, served as president for nearly seven years.

“We wanted someone with very strong leadership skills, a commitment to Catholicism and a strong academic background. Dr. Wagie certainly fits that bill,” said Dennis Brand, chairman of SGU’s board of directors and president and CEO of Bancfirst. “He separated himself from the rest of the candidates in all three of those issues.”

Wagie has more than 20 years of experience in higher education. He recently completed a two-year position as an educational consultant to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While working for the UAE Minister of Education, he spearheaded the concept and design for a future “University City” in Abu Dhabi, entailing 4,000 acres, numerous universities with shared resources and funding provided through public-private partnership.

“My wife and I were looking for a values-based university with a strong Catholic identity,” Wagie said. “The more we read about St. Gregory’s, the more interested we became. We’d been serving our country for a number of years and teaching students to become great citizens and good, ethical people. So the Benedictine values here fit right in with our values. We were tremendously impressed by the mission, the focus on the students and the dedicated people.

“In addition, I was very impressed with the strong leadership of Abbot Lawrence, Mr. Brand and the entire board at St. Gregory’s. They have made the university a great success. I look forward to joining the team, working closely with Abbot Lawrence and the board, and being part of St. Gregory’s wonderful future.”

Wagie served 32 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring in July 2004 as a brigadier general. During his career, he served in a variety of leadership positions, including research pilot, flight instructor, engineer and educator. In his last position in the USAF, Wagie served as provost at the USAF Academy in Colorado. There he coordinated 500 teaching faculty and 200 staff, providing 500 courses in 32 academic majors to 4,000 students.

During his tenure, the USAF Academy was one of only 16 institutions nationally selected in 2000 as a prestigious “Leadership Institution” by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. In addition, the academy was named “No. 3 best overall academic experience” and “No. 6 best undergraduate engineering school” in the United States for 2003.

“I think the success of any university resides on the student being both the customer and the product,” Wagie said. “You focus on the students to help them develop personally,  professionally and spiritually while they’re in school, preparing them to serve their communities as good  citizens when they graduate. That’s part of St. Gregory’s mission, and that’s one of the main reasons we’re here.”

Wagie, originally from Wisconsin, has a bachelor’s degree in engineering science from the USAF Academy and a master’s degree in systems management from the University of Southern California. He’s also earned a master’s from Stanford University and a  doctorate from Purdue University, both in aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

He and his wife, Sue, have been married for 33 years and have three daughters, Angela, Megan and Tiffany. Sue Wagie has a master’s degree in education and has been associated with elementary education for nearly 20 years, 10 of which involved classroom teaching. She said she plans to be active on campus, assisting with student, alumni and donor relations.

Abbot Lawrence will continue to focus on his duties as chancellor of the university, including promoting the university’s Catholic and Benedictine identity, serving as a liaison between the university and monastic communities, fund-raising and serving as a partner/mentor to Dr. Wagie. He said classroom teaching also may be in his future.

Abbot Lawrence was elected as abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey in January 2006.  As abbot, he oversees all activities of the monastery, including its relationship to St. Gregory’s University, the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art, organizations that provide service to persons with developmental disabilities, and pastoral responsibilities to parishes in Pottawatomie and Seminole counties.

“I look forward to working closely with Dr. Wagie,” Abbot Lawrence said. “This transition in leadership is certainly another example of the growth and sophistication of our culture here. With Dr. Wagie, we’re bringing to our community someone who has extraordinary talent and a strong background in academics, organizational management and commitment to his faith — all of which strengthen the president’s office greatly.”