CBU Names Cleveland VP for Institutional Advancement

RIVERSIDE (January 26, 2012) –Dr. Art Cleveland has been named as Vice President for Institutional Advancement for California Baptist University, President Ronald L. Ellis, announced.  Cleveland began his new duties January 23.

A veteran of more than four decades in education as a professor and administrator, Cleveland most recently as served as interim Vice President of Institutional Advancement for CBU for the past year.  He also serves as Dean of Research and will continue in this role.

"Dr. Cleveland has proven to be an effective member of the CBU leadership team," Ellis said. "He is an accomplished scholar and administrator and has a proven track record in higher education."

Since taking the helm of Institutional Advancement as interim Vice President, Cleveland is responsible for organizational enhancements resulting in increased fundraising and successful grant submissions. These achievements include major gifts for the construction of the new School of Business building and a prestigious W. M. Keck Foundation grant of $250,000 for the College of Engineering.

Cleveland joined CBU in 2006 as Dean of Research. He previously served as President of Sheldon Jackson College in Sitka, AK. Under his tenure, the college constructed a new child care center and received more than $5 million in government funding and more than $2 million in gifts.

Cleveland also has held a variety of faculty positions with state universities and faith-based colleges including:  Dean, College of Science, and Professor of Biology, Columbus State University in Columbus, GA; Dean, College of Natural Sciences, Dakota State University, Madison, SD;  Interim Dean, Division of Nursing and Sciences, and Chair, Environmental Science and Allied Health, University of  Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX; and Director of Museum of Natural History, and Chair, Department of Biology; Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, TX.

His distinguished academic career includes honors as Texas Wesleyan University's Educator of the Year (1979-1980), a Welder Wildlife Foundation Research Fellow (1969-71), and induction into University of Texas Military Science Hall of Honor in 2003. A prolific author, Cleveland has published numerous papers and articles and has been invited to present papers around the globe.

Cleveland holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas, Arlington; and a Master of Arts in Biology and Ph.D. in Biology from the University of North Texas.