An open forum will be held Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room.

Find the itinerary for the visit and the candidate’s résumé on the University Relations website.

An open forum will be held Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room.

Find the itinerary for the visit and the candidate’s résumé on the University Relations website.

An open forum will be held Thursday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room.

Find the itinerary for the visit and the candidate’s résumé on the University Relations website.

An open forum will be held Monday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room.

Find the itinerary for the visit and the candidate’s résumé on the University Relations website.

An open forum will be held Thursday from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room.

Find the itinerary for the visit and the candidate’s résumé on the University Relations website.

Dr. Robert O. Davies, Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s vice president for University Relations and executive director of the Foundation for IUP, has accepted the position of president of Eastern Oregon University. He will begin his new position on July 1, 2009.

“The university community expresses its sincere gratitude for Dr. Davies’ commitment and productive efforts in the university advancement arena,” Dr. Tony Atwater, president of IUP, said. “I congratulate him and wish him success in his new appointment. He will be missed at IUP as a member of the administration and a respected member of the IUP community.”

An expedited national search for the position will be launched immediately with the assistance of a search firm.

“It is my goal to have the successful candidate in place at IUP in this position by Sept. 1 to ensure continuing progress of our external fundraising efforts, especially as it relates to the KCAC,” Atwater said.

Atwater also announced that Lynn Iams Barger, IUP associate vice president for development, has accepted his invitation to serve as acting vice president for University Relations and acting executive director of the Foundation for IUP.

“I have full confidence in Lynn Barger’s expertise and abilities to successfully continue the operation of the University Relations office until a successor to Dr. Davies is officially appointed,” Atwater said.

During his tenure at IUP, Davies has been responsible for oversight of the Student Residential Revival, the $270 million student housing replacement project, the largest project of its type in the nation; the ongoing Indiana Initiative fundraising campaign for the KCAC; IUP’s selection as an All-Steinway School; and the creation of the Fairman Centre project in Punxsutawney.

He successfully concluded a comprehensive campaign with a goal of $28 million, raising $32 million, and secured five multimillion gifts for the university. During his tenure, total giving increased at IUP from $3.2 million annually to more than $7 million annually. Through his leadership, alumni giving participation increased by at least three percentage points per year for the last three years.

“To receive this type of appointment speaks loudly to what IUP is doing well as an institution, and specifically, to my relationship with Dr. Atwater,” Davies said. “He has mentored me and provided me with guidance to enable me to move on to this next level of university leadership.

“The great friends and volunteers at IUP and in the Indiana community are directly responsible for the many achievements IUP has enjoyed over the past three years.”

Barger was named IUP’s associate vice president for development in February 2008. She was selected as IUP’s director of corporate and foundation relations in September 2006.

Barger serves on the board of directors for Downtown Indiana, Inc., and is cochair of the board’s economic restructuring committee.

Barger came to IUP from Washington & Jefferson College, where she served as director of foundation and government relations, executive director of external relations, and director of alumni relations.

Prior to her work at Washington & Jefferson College, Barger served as vice president and director for public relations and as president of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, a regional tourist promotion agency for Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties. Prior to her work with the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, she worked as assistant director for the Butler County Chamber of Commerce and as director of the Butler County Visitors Bureau.

Barger received a master of public management degree with highest distinction in 1992 from the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University, and has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington & Jefferson College.

She has been active in a number of professional associations and groups, including the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania Student Aid and Outreach Committee, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, City of Washington Economic Development Council, and the Steering Committee for the Blueprint for Collaboration.

She formerly served on the Central Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, on the Westmoreland County Heritage Preservation Committee, and on the Pennsylvania Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus, serving on the board of directors and as president.

Barger received a congressional appointment to serve as a delegate for the White House Conference on Travel and Tourism in 1995, and served as both a commission member and as chair of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission.

The new office opened January 15. Located on the fifth floor of 20 Stanwix Street, the space includes two offices, a small meeting room, and a larger conference room.

“Our integrated marketing plan and recommendations from a study of our alumni relations program call for increasing our visibility in the Pittsburgh area. This office provides us a tool to accomplish this goal. It will be a hub of outreach activity,” said Robert Davies, vice president of University Relations. “Members of the University Relations staff will use the office to meet with prospective donors and alumni and to strengthen connections with media outlets. Also, it will assist in student admissions and career development initiatives in the greater Pittsburgh area.”

Davies said that a search to place a permanent University Relations staff member in the office will begin shortly.

“This person will have a wide range of advancement responsibilities and will be a key leader in our efforts in this area,” he said.

Davies stated that he is arranging his schedule to spend at least two days every other week in the office.

“For my division, frequent visits to Pittsburgh are a must to succeed, and having a presence there is important for the university in general, in terms of admissions recruitment and in terms of being able to take IUP’s story to the largest metropolitan area in the region. To do that, we need a place to hang our hat.”