Breech School's Wyatt named Coker College president

Robert L. Wyatt, dean of Drury University's Breech School of Business Administration, has been named president of Coker College in Hartsville, S.C.

Wyatt will be the independent liberal arts college's 16th president, according to a Coker College news release. He is replacing B. James Dawson, who retires in June after seven years as president.

"Dr. Wyatt is a leader of the highest caliber," said Coker College trustee Karen Lear, who chaired the presidential search committee, in the release. "This search process was very competitive, and everyone involved feels strongly that he will be an asset to the institution."

Wyatt has headed up the Breech School since 2001. Under his direction, the school launched the Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship, received reaffirmed accreditation by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools, and revised its curriculum to focus on international study and internships, according to the release.

Wyatt began teaching at Drury in 1996 and briefly served as the school's associate dean for the College of Graduate and Continuing Studies. He also co-founded Drury's Students in Free Enterprise program. Prior to joining Drury, Wyatt was dean of the McAfee School of Business Administration at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

In 2007, Wyatt was selected as one of 37 American Council on Education Fellows. He spent a year working with Hendrix College in Arkansas, helping the school's administration with faculty governance, fundraising, enrollment management and institutional advancement.

Charles Taylor, Drury vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, said an interim director for the Breech School would be named soon. A national search for a permanent director will begin during the 2009-10 school year, with a director in place for the 2010-11 year.

"Drury University offers its heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Robert Wyatt on being named the president of Coker College," Taylor said in a statement. "I am confident Robert will lead Coker effectively into the newest period in its storied history. Robert's new position reflects well on his talents and of the excellence of the Breech School of Business Administration."[[In-content Ad]]