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News

Vailas named ISU president

UH System leader promoted research with medical institutions; increased funding

by JESSICA ROBERTSON
Senior Staff Writer

Arthur Vailas, UH System vice chancellor and vice president of research and intellectual property management, was named president of Idaho State University last week. His appointment, effective in July, will end his career of more than a decade at the University.

"In the 10 and a half years I've been here, I've enjoyed many things, but I'm ready to move on to the next level of my career," Vailas said. 

Vailas has promoted the University's goal of reaching flagship research status by creating partnership agreements with nearby medical institutions and advocating for research funding.

"(Vailas) has been a great research leader at the University, most recently in helping to build partnerships with the Texas Medical Center, including our 30-year operating agreement with Methodist Hospital," UH President Jay Gogue said in an e-mail to faculty and staff.

Vailas served as executive committee chair of the UH and Methodist Hospital affiliation and helped to establish the partnership that will allow for more research in math, physics, engineering, super-computing, pharmacy and optometry.

Other efforts led by Vailas to expand the University's research scope include several air quality studies and the establishment of the Texas Learning and Computation Center on campus.

"Over the years in research, our University has done very well in fields that relate to ... all sciences," Vailas said. "We've become nationally competitive and implemented more multidisciplinary research and education. We've broadened our (research) portfolio and become more relevant in the state and the country."

Vailas first came to UH in 1995 as vice president for research, vice provost for graduate studies, and professor and distinguished chair in biology and biochemistry.

He began working as University vice president for research and intellectual property management in 1997 and became responsible for Systemwide research the next year.

"Research has skyrocketed under his tutelage," Rosalinda Mendez, associate director of the Texas Learning Computation Center said. "When he got here, research was done in little pockets at the University, but I think he fostered and focused it. He has raised the political profile and the research profile of the University."

His wife, Laura Vailas, is an associate dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and has worked at the University for more than eight years. She will join her husband in Idaho but will not be employed in an official capacity at ISU.

"There's no question that I'm going to miss the faculty and staff I've had the opportunity to work with here," she said.

Vailas said he was attracted to ISU for its similarities to UH, including a large number of non-traditional students and research opportunities in the medical field.

"If I'm going to be a (university) president, that was the perfect place for me," he said. 

Vailas said his immediate plans are to create an infrastructure that promotes research and educational opportunities within the university.

"The number one priority of any university is the students," Vailas said. "I'm going to work with the constituents in the community and the university as well as the government and other universities to provide students the opportunity to be independent and creative thinkers."

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