Columbus State
Community College
550 East Spring Street
Columbus, OH 43216
(614) 287-5353
(800) 621-6407
For more information, contact David Wayne
Media Relations Coordinator
Columbus State Community College
(614) 287-2161
March 26, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Columbus State Community College Board of Trustees tonight
granted a 6-month contract extension to President Valeriana Moeller, who
announced that she plans to retire at the conclusion of that extension,
June 30, 2010.
Having arrived in 1996, Dr. Moeller navigated the college through a
period of remarkable growth and expansion. Under her leadership Columbus
State has grown to become the largest community college in the state,
with more than 24,200 students.
Dr. Moeller thanked the members of the board of trustees, the college’s
employees, and members of the community for their support over the past
13 years. “I have enjoyed participating in the growth of this college.
Our staff, faculty and administrators have helped this institution make
so many remarkable accomplishments, and I am very proud of the work they
have done.
“I look forward to the next 15 months to complete the work outlined by
the chair of the board in his comments and to prepare for the new
president.
“I have always believed that when you come to a place, you should leave
it a little better than you found it. I hope I have done that.”
Before taking the helm at Columbus State, Dr. Moeller was Executive Vice
President and Provost of Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan,
and she had two decades of academic leadership experience at colleges in
Michigan and Minneapolis.
Born in India, Dr. Moeller was raised in Portugal, where she began her
career as a high school chemistry teacher. She holds bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from the University of Lisbon (Portugal) and
master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston,
Ill.
As Dr. Moeller prepares for her final 15 months as president, the
college is enjoying record-setting enrollment, has earned perfect scores
for financial responsibility from the Ohio Board of Regents, has built
or renovated a number of buildings on campus, and is preparing to open a
state-of-the-art campus in Delaware County in 2010.
Over the next year, Columbus State’s board of trustees will conduct a
nationwide search for a new president.