FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2007

CONTACT: Steve Dolan
(619) 594-5664
sdolan@mail.sdsu.edu

SAN DIEGO, Wednesday, November 14, 2007 - William (Bill) Fornadel has been named the new associate dean for administration by San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies (CES), Dean Joe Shapiro announced.

Fornadel, who has worked in higher education and business for more than 20 years, has been the director of academic, post baccalaureate and executive development programs for the University of Virginia's School of Continuing and Professional Studies for the past seven years.

"I am honored to have been named as the CES associate dean for administration," Fornadel said. "San Diego State University's College of Extended Studies has an outstanding reputation and it's a great opportunity to be a part of this College. It will be very exciting working with other SDSU colleges, faculty, staff, and students in initiatives that will help lead CES in meeting the education and training needs for the greater San Diego community. I enjoy change and the excitement of engaging new ideas, places, and people. How the energy and dynamics of SDSU's unique culture and environment, integrated with my values and higher education experiences, galvanize into new and enhanced programs and initiatives will be fun, stimulating, and rewarding to discover."

Shapiro, who served as the CES associate dean for the past five years, is very pleased about Fornadel's appointment.

"Dr. Fornadel's leadership experiences working with faculty, departments, colleges, and administrators provide an excellent administrative background for his new position with CES," said Shapiro. "Bill's enthusiasm for life-long learning, his commitment to excellence, his dedication to students, and his experience with such functions as budget management, program development, study abroad, and workforce development are certain to help CES extend the reach of the college and the university to business, education, government, industry, and civil society."

Fornadel earned his doctorate in management and higher education from the University of Virginia, a master's of education in student personnel services from Southern Illinois University, and an undergraduate psychology degree from the College of New Jersey. He worked at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Institute of Textile Technology before returning to his alma mater at Virginia in 2000.

His professional and administrative positions have included serving as dean and vice president of academic and student affairs; director of student and campus life; director of university conferences and institutes; student union director, commuter life and ADA student services; and chief operating officer of a national patent law continuing education business. He currently serves as a commissioner on the University Continuing Education Association's (UCEA) Commission on Leadership and Management.

"Education has been very important to me because my parents did not have an education," he said. "They worked hard. In working hard, they wanted me to go to college. I was the second in my family to go to college and the first to obtain a doctorate. By working in continuing education now, I am part of being able to create programs that really do impact people's lives with immediate results."

Fornadel is an advocate of lifelong learning. He is committed to international education and study abroad initiatives and his extensive travels in Europe, Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia reinforce his enthusiasm for individuals to experience new cultures and experiences.

His family is also actively engaged in education and teaching. Sarah, his wife, earned a Master's degree in Education from Indiana University and has been a university administrator for almost 30 years, working at the departmental, vice presidential, and final grant approval levels while most recently serving as a senior grant administrator in the Office of Grants and Contracts in the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia.

Laura, the eldest of their two daughters, is a graduate of the University of Georgia who is currently teaching English in Hanoi, Vietnam. Their youngest daughter, Erin, is a junior at the College of Charleston and is actively planning her spring 2008 study abroad program in Prague, Czech Republic.

SDSU's College of Extended Studies engages the community with a wide variety of lifelong learning classes, seminars, certificate programs, ESL programs and certificates, and SDSU undergraduate and graduate degrees. Career advancement courses are offered in many areas of management, leadership, and quality improvement while self-enrichment courses range from astronomy to web design. Additionally, the College offers over 35 certificate programs, online courses, and many other learning opportunities. To register or for more information, call (619) 265-SDSU (7378) or log on to www.NeverStopLearning.net.