(KLZA)-- Peru State College President Dr. Dan Hanson has announced the appointment of Dr. Richard Rafes as interim vice president for academic affairs at Peru State.

Rafes, a native of Texas, is expected to serve in the role for the next six months as a search for a permanent replacement is underway.

President Hanson said, “Dr. Rafes has a long, successful career in education as a president, vice president, dean and legal counsel. He brings tremendous experience and expertise to Peru State and has already established himself as a collaborative and supportive leader. I look forward to working with him in the coming months.”

Rafes said, “Upon visiting with students and faculty on campus, I was immediately struck by the outstanding learning environment that Peru State College offers its students, not only within the classroom but through active learning taking place in many venues. Students here are fortunate to receive such an enriching educational experience. This level of engagement is unusual, especially within a public college setting.”

Rafes is a member of the Registry, an organization of primarily former presidents of colleges and universities that serve as interims in colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. 

His most recent appointment was as interim dean of Health Professions and Education at Utica College in Utica, New York. Prior to that he served as president of East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and as president of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He also worked in various other capacities, including senior vice president of the University of North Texas and vice chancellor and general counsel of the University of North System, in Denton, Texas. 

Rafes is an on-site reviewer for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

Rafes holds a bachelor’s degree in government from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, a doctor of jurisprudence from the University of Houston College of Law in Houston, Texas, and a doctor of philosophy in higher education administration from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. He was also a senior fellow for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.