Plachtas honored by CMU trustees
After serving a combined 40 years as university president and first lady, Leonard and Louise Plachta are leaving their roles as the leaders of CMU.
The Board of Trustees recognized the couple Thursday at the president's last board meeting.
Leonard Plachta, who has served CMU for the past 28 years as professor of accounting, assistant dean of the College of Business Administration and president, received president emeritus rank, effective Aug. 1.
President Designate Michael Rao, who was named CMU's 12th president at the May 30 Board of Trustees meeting, will officially take over as university president Aug. 1.
"We have had some very significant ways of recognizing Leonard," Trustee Jerry Campbell said. "One idea was spearheaded by Trustee (Roger) Kesseler."
Kesseler then announced that, in remembrance of four of President Plachta's years at CMU, the board will earmark $600,000 for four Leonard E. Plachta Centralis Scholarships, with the first award being given by the fall of 2001. One scholarship will be added each year until four are in force perpetually.
"Buildings get made, buildings get torn down, but this will go on forever. This is an outstanding program that attracts very great scholar students to the university," Kesseler said of the Centralis awards.
"This is a great honor, and a recognition that I did not expect," Plachta said.
All new students entering CMU as freshmen or community college transfer students with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 are invited to compete for a Centralis award. The Centralis competition involves an examination administered on campus and participation is by invitation only.
Trustees gave Plachta another going-away present by granting him transition leave through Aug. 15, 2001, at his full current salary of $189,000. Plachta announced Dec. 3 that he will be leaving the presidency June 30 but will not be retiring from the university.
Instead, he'll come around full circle as he plans to utilize his faculty tenure to return to the classroom, where he'll teach accounting in the spring of 2001.
Plachta joined CMU in 1972 as a professor of accounting. He became the 11th CMU president in January 1992 after serving as dean of the College of Business Administration since 1980. Initially serving as interim president, trustees removed the interim from his title on Oct. 1, 1993.
In part of its resolution granting Plachta president emeritus rank, the board said that under Plachta's leadership, CMU has experienced record growth, earned recognition as a best-value university, added and enhanced relevant academic programs, increased services and opportunities to students, promoted international education and global partnerships, upgraded classrooms and facilities and expanded outreach programs in metro Detroit and other off-campus locations.
The board said they have formed a committee, chaired by Trustee William Johnson, that plans to hold a significant event sometime this fall commemorating Plachta. Campbell said Plachta agreed with the event on the conditions that it be for the betterment of CMU and tied to some form of fund raising and positive public relations for the university.
First Lady Louise Plachta was given ambassador emerita rank Thursday for her 13 years at CMU. She served as a member of the clerical staff, working in Receivable Accounting, student affairs, and recreation and parks administration departments before retiring on Dec. 31, 1991. She earned her master's of English degree in 1992 after her husband was named university president.
In its resolution honoring Louise Plachta, the board said she has provided superior guidance and caring support to nontraditional students as the undergraduate nontraditional student liaison, a volunteer position; has exhibited consistent and loving support for her husband during his presidency, performing with excellence her duties as CMU's first lady; has been an exceptional model of life-long learning and professional development by pursuing and earning a master's degree as a nontraditional student; has been an outstanding member of the Mount Pleasant community as a volunteer with various organizations and as a supporter of adult literacy programs; and has been an exceptional and much-loved ambassador for CMU - generous in her support of the university's programs, friendly and even-tempered, quick with a smile and kind word to everyone she meets, and gracious in all her dealings with students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.
