Wheeling Jesuit University Appoints New President

Wheeling Jesuit University announced that Richard Allen Beyer has been appointed the ninth president of the university. His appointment is effective January 2, 2011; he is the first non-Jesuit president at WJU.

Beyer joins WJU from Trimble Navigation Ltd. where he is currently serving as a corporate vice president and member of the executive committee. With global sales of $1.2 billion, Trimble is a leading provider of global positioning solutions for commercial markets.

Beyer brings a unique combination of over 23 years of senior executive officer experience and over 16 years experience in higher education including board governance and financial modeling.

Beyer first became affiliated with higher education in 1994 at his alma mater Olivet College, Mich., where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1980. He served on the Olivet board of trustees beginning in 1994. He became its chairman in 2000 and was elected trustee emeritus in 2007. Beyer has also worked with higher education institutions on financial modeling, board governance and strategic planning.

Beyer currently serves on the board of trustees at the American University in Washington D.C. and on the board of directors at the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), a national higher education governance organization. [Wheeling Jesuit University]