Richard Durst is an academic administrator who served as the eighth and last president of

Baldwin-Wallace College Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace Co ...

located in

Berea, Ohio Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...

. He became president in 2006 and remained until 2012. Durst was replaced by Robert C. Helmer in July 2012 as the school converted to Baldwin Wallace University

Childhood, education, and family

Richard Durst was born in 1945, in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to cattle ranchers Wayne and Pearle Jenson Durst. His parents had a cattle ranch in Harrisburg, Nebraska. Richard spent most of his childhood living with his grandparents in Kansas City, Missouri. Richard Durst served four years in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. He is a graduate of Missouri Western State University and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

in Scenic Design for Theatre. He and his wife, Karen, were married in 1974 in Norman, Oklahoma. He is the father of two: Amanda Durst and Derek Durst.

Career

Before assuming the Presidency of Baldwin-Wallace College, Durst was Dean of the College of Arts and Architecture and executive director of University Arts Services at the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

(2000–2006). Prior to that, he was Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts (1996–2000) and Special Assistant to the Chancellor (1997–2000) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Durst served as Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, Duluth from 1989 to 1996, where he was full professor and then department chair before that. Additionally, Durst has served as executive director of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans (ICFAD); he is a Past President of both the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and the International Organization of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (

OISTAT The International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians (OISTAT) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1968 in Prague, Czech Republic. According to its founding name, the organization is mainly a network ...

), whose world headquarters are in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In March 2011 Durst announced his intention to retire in May 2012. In 2012, Durst retired as president During Durst's presidency, Durst oversaw the early stages of the school's conversion to a university. In the fall of 2011 a task force was developed by BW President Dick Durst. On February 11, 2012, it was announced Baldwin–Wallace College will become Baldwin Wallace University after approval by the BW Board of Trustees. The name would become effective on July 1 of 2012 with complete implementation by the end of 2012. In addition to the new university designation, seal, and logo "B-W" will drop the hyphen in its name.

External links

Encyclopedia of Baldwin Wallace History: Richard Durst

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durst, Richard 1945 births Living people People from Scottsbluff, Nebraska Military personnel from Nebraska Presidents of Baldwin Wallace University Missouri Western State University alumni University of Oklahoma alumni