This past fall, the president ofMedaille College announced he will retire from the school at the end of this academic year citing unspecified health reasons. With a decline in enrollment, Medaille had suffered a more than $2 million shortfall. WBFO's Focus on Education reporter Eileen Buckley sat down with Medaille President Richard Jurasek, who remains private about his health issue, but hinted to potential partnerships with other colleges.
Jurasek declined the board of trustees contract offer and at the end of Oct. announced his retirement. He will leave the school this June after serving the college since 2007.
"I was caught blindsided -- with some health challenges and it made me think twice about how I wanted to spend the remainder of my life," said Jurasek.
When asked how Jurasek's health is currently, he responded "I am absolutely stable and at the top of my game."
Jurasek noted while he is retiring from the top post at Medaille, he's "rebooting" regarding his career. "I intend to different things, other things, and those opportunities will present themselves. This is a reboot, not a retirement."
WBFO News asked Jurasek if the college would work on collaborating with Canisius College, it's nearby neighbor on Main Street, across from Medaille at Agassiz Circle off the 198 at Parkside.
"That just seems commonsensical," noted Jurasek. "I suspect that we will identify, at some point, ways to reduce costs. It will probably be 100-steps less of a merger. We are very interested in exploring this, not just with Canisius, but with any private partner in Western New York."
"That just seems commonsensical," noted Richard Jurasek, outgoing president of Medaille College. "I suspect that we will identify, at some point, ways to reduce costs. It will probably be 100-steps less of a merger. We are very interested in exploring this, not just with Canisius, but with any private partner in Western New York."
Jurasek noted that the 'sticker-price' rebellion regarding the high-cost of college has not matter as much to the college by keeping costs in check.
