Grand Valley State University has appointed Northview Public Schools Superintendent Patricia Oldt as an executive officer overseeing campus equity, planning and related issues. Oldt will assume the position of Assistant to the President for Campus Equity and Planning on February 1, 2000.
GVSU President Arend D. Lubbers announced the creation of the position in April of this year. He appointed a 10-member search committee to help select candidates for the position.
As an executive officer, Dr. Oldt will be responsible for handling all significant quality-of-life issues, including those previously raised by women's climate studies, by the Women's Commission reports, and by faculty governance and administrative committees. She will also be the executive officer in charge of campus planning.
Oldt has been superintendent at Northview Public Schools for seven years. She previously served as dean at Grand Rapids Community College and as deputy superintendent at Grand Rapids Public Schools.
During her career in education, she has been a relentless advocate for equity, Lubbers said in a letter to GVSU faculty and staff today. She developed classroom instructional models to ensure that female, minority, and male students receive equal treatment; her programs are used as models by other school districts across the country. She played a key role in implementing the requirements of Title IX in Michigan, thus opening the door of opportunity for hundreds of female athletes.
Lubbers also noted that Oldt, as a long-time CEO, will bring GVSU extensive experience in planning for facilities, programs, and faculty.
