Paul H. Thompson may have the shortest career as a college president in history.
Thompson doesn't plan to leave his just-announced appointment as president of Weber State College anytime soon. But four months after assuming the presidency he'll find himself at the helm of a new organization - Weber State University.It is an exciting time to be taking over the principal leadership role at the school, and Thompson is looking forward to the challenges.
"It's a bit of a surprise for me," Thompson said of his appointment.
Thompson counts his fund-raising experience and ability as primary attributes he'll bring to Weber State College.
"Funding is always a key issue - if you can generate funds from outside sources, alumni and donors," Thompson said.
Thompson said he hopes "not to be a one-note president. I hope to focus on the whole university."
Douglas S. Foxley, chairman of the State Board of Regents, announced Friday Thompson's selection as Weber State's 10th president. Thompson, 51, was selected from a field of 83 candidates.
A formal vote on his appointment will take place next week when the regents meet in Cedar City. Thompson will assume the position Sept. 1.
"The regents feel very fortunate to have attracted him to assume the presidency of this outstanding and dynamic institution," Foxley said.
Thompson is vice president of development and university relations at Brigham Young University, a position he has held for 13 months.
"What he has in fact done (in that capacity) has exceeded our expectations and even our hopes," said BYU President Rex Lee. "He will make an outstanding university president, and I look forward to further work with him as a colleague, although in a different relationship."
Prior to his position as vice president, Thompson was the dean of the BYU Marriott School of Management. He also taught for 11 years at the Provo campus. Thompson's colleagues at BYU say he is a consensus-builder with a quiet leadership style. They also say he is "very personable, down-to-earth and mild-mannered."
"I like to spend a lot of time listening to people," Thompson said. "I like to build support in a group before plotting a direction."
"They are getting a great man," said Delora Bertelsen, assistant to the dean of the Marriott School of Management.
"Working with him is like a primer in organizational behavior," she said.
Thompson is a great listener, believes in participatory management and delegates assignments that allow others the opportunity to stretch professionally, Bertelsen said.
As dean of the School of Management, Thompson started the Endowed Scholarship Program and brought in a number of major faculty and scholarship endowments, Bertelsen said. He also arranged a $15 million endowment for the school from the Marriott family.
Lee H. Radebaugh, associate dean of the Marriott School of Management, said Thompson has a broad perspective on education that will serve Weber State College well.
"I know his point of view as dean was all units of a university are important," Radebaugh said.
Radebaugh also compliments Thompson's "desire to find out major issues and concerns of the academic community." He echoes perceptions of Thompson as a consensus builder who seeks a lot of comment from others before drafting priority lists, agendas and action plans.
Thompson replaces Stephen D. Nadauld, who resigned earlier this year to become chief financial officer for Bonneville Pacific Corp.
Thompson, who was reared in Warren, Weber County, attended Weber State for one year and then went on to earn his bachelor's in economics at the University of Utah. Thompson earned both his master's degree and doctorate in business administration at Harvard University. He is co-author of two books, one of which is "Novations: Strategies for Career Management."
His wife, Carolyn Nelson Thompson, graduated from Weber State College; in fact, she was a student body officer at the college in 1959. The Thompsons have five daughters and a son and live in Provo.