Lawrence Technological University in Southfield has named Richard Heist interim vice president of academic affairs and provost. He will join the university Jan. 1, 2023.
“In Dr. Heist, we feel we have found a recognized educational leader who will help us continue to improve Lawrence Tech’s strong academic programs and assure that our graduates are well prepared for the challenges of the shifting global economy,” says Tarek M. Sobh, president of LTU. “As interim provost, Dr. Heist will oversee LTU’s four colleges and the academic affairs division.”
Heist has more than 40 years of experience in higher education as a professor and administrator. After earning his PhD from Purdue University in physical chemistry, he spent 20 years as a professor of chemical engineering at Rochester University in New York.
Later, he was an engineering dean at Manhattan College, and acting dean at Fairfield University, before joining Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at its campus in Daytona Beach, Fla. as provost and senior vice president in 2007. Since 2016, he has been senior vice president emeritus for research and academic affairs for Embry-Riddle’s three campuses.
