The Observer, April 21, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 25
Interim president arrives to greet the Case community
A few weeks following the announcement of President Edward Hundert's resignation, the Board of Trustees announced that Gregory L. Eastwood, M.D. had been elected the interim president of Case effective June 2. The date for Hundert's departure has therfore changed to June 2, instead of the planned September date.
"The timetable has changed a little and the transfer of duties will occur in June," Eastwood said. Eastwood's role will serve to ease the transition between Hundert's exit from office and the arrival of a new president.
An alumnus of the Case School of Medicine and a member of the Board of Trustees, Eastwood has been on campus to meet the Case community and settle into his role as interim president. "I want to learn as much as possible about Case and I also want to meet as many students and faculty as possible," Eastwood said.
His first public appearance occurred during a forum on Monday, April 17 in Strosacker Auditorium in which Eastwood greeted students and faculty. The event was webcast and can be accessed on http://www.case.edu/events/webcasts/eastwood.
Though Eastwood will only be here for a few months, there are a few subjects he would like to focus on by the end of his term. "I detect that people have morale issues and that some people are demoralized over what has happened in the past several weeks. So I would like to restore morale and restore trust on campus," he said. "On a practical level, I would like to make this position attractive during the interviewing process."
On a different front, Eastwood is pleased with the development of the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship (SAGES) program and increase enrollment rates. "I believe that SAGES is a fundamentally good program but there are some aspects we can improve upon. I am also pleased that we have been able to attract more students and I would like to perpetuate that," Eastwood said.
The idea for the position first arose during a special meeting of the Board of Trustees a month ago. After the meeting, Frank Linsalata, Chair of the Board of Trustees, offered the interim president position to Eastwood.
"I gave the position some thought and decided to accept it. One of the reasons why was because of my strong loyalty to Case. This loyalty developed when I was a student at Case and it has sustained," Eastwood said.
Eastwood is currently the president of SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N. Y.
