New Vice President For Arizona Operations & Special Assistant To The Executive Vice President
Posted: August 26, 2010
O.T. Wendel, Ph.D.
Dr. Wendel will oversee operations at the Arizona campus and work with Dr. Phelps as the president deems necessary.
What he brings to the position: Dr. Wendel became the first associate provost of ATSU’s Arizona campus in 1998, served as dean of the faculty until 2002 with the formation of ASHS, and has been effective in helping to build that campus. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Andrews Presbyterian College and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University. He has taught at several institutions, including ATSU-KCOM. He also has served in teaching and high-level administrative positions elsewhere, including chancellor of the Chico Campus of Western University of Health Sciences.
What’s new: Dr. Wendel will continue to build upon the foundation he and Dr. Phelps created. A myriad of activities require planning and coordination in order for the Arizona campus to continue to be a model of innovation in health professions education, and Dr. Wendel is up to the task.
Goals for his first year and long term: Dr. Wendel says that, without a doubt, the first year has to focus on the creation of temporary space to support increasing campus enrollment. During the next three years, the Arizona campus will be actively involved in planning and implementing a learning center campus environment. This exciting transition will require new thinking about the interface between education and the campus environment.
Most memorable ATSU moment: Although the inaugural class for new programs is always exciting, his most dramatic memory is moving the entire campus from Grand Canyon University to Mesa in one long weekend, including driving a rental truck with eight cadavers, and the computer “network” across town.