Tarleton announces inauguration of president

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 24, 2009

STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS— Last summer, Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio and wife, Lisette Dottavio, packed up their belongings and made the long trek from Ohio to Texas so that Dominic could assume his role as the 15th president of Tarleton State University.

Over the past year, the Dottavios became acclimated to the Texas weather and culture and have truly become Tarleton Texans.

To celebrate Dr. Dottavio’s presidency, the university will host an inauguration and investiture ceremony Friday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m. in Tarleton’s Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Auditorium. All faculty, students and staff, as well as community members and special guests are invited to attend the ceremony and the subsequent reception.

At Tarleton, Dottavio oversees more than 1,000 employees, manages an average annual budget of $110 million, and provides 9,000 students strategic direction for the sites in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Granbury and Thurber.

He has led the university in streamlining and implementing its strategic goals which center around the theme of the 4E’s- excel, expand, encourage and extend. He has worked to ensure the university community is committed to helping Tarleton excel in leadership, teaching and learning, expand its horizons, encourage leadership, service and student success and extend its outreach. He has also overseen the groundbreaking of Tarleton’s state of the art dairy research facility as well as the new nursing building.

Dottavio came to Tarleton from the presidency of Heidelberg University where he served since 2003. During his tenure at Heidelberg, he increased student enrollment, led successful fund-raising campaigns, expanded the curriculum and initiated student engagement strategies and programs.

Prior to his tenure at Heidelberg, he served as the chief executive officer of The Ohio State University at Marion. Before entering the academic arena, he served as chief scientist for the National Park Service in Atlanta, Ga. and the Director of Natural Areas in Washington, D.C.

Dottavio earned a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree from Yale University and a doctorate from Purdue University.

Lisette is a CPA, senior tax accountant and holds an earned doctorate in remote sensing from Purdue. The Dottavios have two grown children, Aaron and Adrea, who live in Montgomery, Texas.

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