JULIO S. LEÓN

Julio S. León has been president of Missouri Southern State University since 1982. He came to Missouri Southern in 1969 as an assistant professor of business administration. He was promoted to associate professor in 1973, and in 1976 he was promoted to professor and became dean of the School of Business. He was appointed interim president of the College in July, 1982, and was named president in December of that year.

A native of Chile, he received his undergraduate education in English from the Technical State University of Santiago, Chile; his master's of business administration from University of North Texas in 1968, and his doctorate in business administration from the University of Arkansas in 1973.

In the Community, Dr. Leon has served on the Board of Directors for the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way. In 1993, he and his wife, Vivian, were named "Citizens of the Year" by the Joplin Chamber of Commerce. Active on the national education scene, he was chair for the year 2000 of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, one of the nation's largest higher education organizations. He also has been the organization's chair for the Professional Development Committee and served on AASCU's Committee on Undergraduate Education and the Committee on Education for Careers. He is vice president for the United States of the International Organization of Higher Education, an organization of 400 universities throughout the Americas, and is a member of the Commission on International Education of the American Council on Education. He attends the First Community Church in Joplin.

Dr. León and his wife, Vivian, have a son Nathan. His wife is director of the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition.