Benedictine selects advisory board to help guide Mesa branch campus
September 25, 2012

Elliott Peppers
(630) 829-6079
epeppers@ben.edu

 Lisle, Illinois ~ To ensure its academic and outreach efforts best address the needs of the Mesa, Ariz., area and surrounding communities, Benedictine University has created an advisory board as it continues efforts to open a branch campus in downtown Mesa. 

Benedictine University announced today that it has assembled an advisory board to help steer its efforts in creating a branch campus in downtown Mesa, Ariz. and ensure that the University’s academic and outreach programs meet the community’s needs. The role of the Benedictine University at Mesa Advisory Board will be to consult with the University’s administration and recommend strategies and best practices for a successful entrance into the Mesa community and a long-term sustainable presence.

Members of the board include David Short, executive director of the Downtown Mesa Association; Mesa City Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh; Leo Archer, entrepreneur and curriculum co-chair for the Mesa Leadership Training and Development Program; Sally Harrison, acting CEO for the Mesa Chamber of Commerce; David Wier, a vice president and senior business sales officer with Wells Fargo Bank; MaryBeth Mueller, superintendent of schools for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix; Anthony Siebers, managing director of the solar division of HukariAscendent Inc., a technical consulting and engineering company; Jo Wilson, senior administrator and special assistant to the executive vice president at Benedictine University at Mesa; and Charlie Gregory, executive vice president of Benedictine University.

“The members of the Downtown Mesa Association are thrilled to have an institution with the stature and tradition of Benedictine University in our city, and especially our downtown,” Short said. “Benedictine will not only be transforming future students, but will be an integral partner in the transformation and future of downtown Mesa.”

“I am delighted that Benedictine University has asked me to serve as a member of the advisory board,” Kavanaugh said. “I look forward to working with the board members as Benedictine moves toward establishing a strong educational foundation here in Mesa.”

Board members will work together to assess needs and provide direction to the University as it establishes a branch campus in downtown Mesa.

“There needs to be a desire for a strong educational foundation in order to put in place the building blocks of a successful society and economic growth,” Archer said. “Benedictine is uniquely positioned in Mesa to be a critical player in the development of that foundation given its long history and core philosophy.”

Benedictine University at Mesa also today opens its services center at 51 E. Main St. and will offer classes beginning fall 2013 at 225 E. Main St. Both locations are in downtown Mesa.

Initial degree offerings will include a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Organizational Behavior, in addition to a minor in Religious Studies.