Vanguard president becomes ambassador

When your university president’s efforts have upped the school’s profile to a level of national recognition, giving him a job as the school’s ambassador probably isn’t a bad idea.

Effective immediately, university president Murray Dempster is the chancellor at Vanguard University, where he will act as the school’s ambassador, serving as the face of Vanguard at community events and helping raise funds for the college.

Dempster will resign as president Oct. 15 at a university board of trustees meeting.

By then, the trustees hope to have an interim president chosen, though university officials could not comment Thursday on who that might be.

Trustees will most likely create a search committee for a new president after their board meetings Oct. 9 and 10.

Since Dempster took the helm of Vanguard University, the school has increased its financial strength and raised its profile with rankings in U.S. News & World Report two years in a row.

In the last two years, the school has been selected as a top-five baccalaureate college in the west, and was also named the Best Western College by the Princeton Review the last three years.

“Dr. Dempster’s leadership as president will be missed, but in his role as university chancellor, he will add significant momentum to the university’s efforts to continue as a university of excellence,” said Patti Ammerman, university spokeswoman.

JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.