A retired professor, university administrator, consultant and business school dean has been selected as the interim vice president for finance and planning at Illinois State University.
Daniel Petree will assume the role on Jan. 2, the day after Dan Stephens retires. Stephens has been ISU's VP for finance and planning for seven years and announced his retirement in October.
ISU interim president Aondover Tarhule said in a statement that Petree's 25 years of experience in higher education finance "brings a broad range of skills and expertise to this vital role."
"He also understands the unique challenges and opportunities facing higher education and will play a crucial part in helping shape the university's fiscal strategies for the short term and beyond," the statement continued.
Petree retired from full-time work in 2017, but has served as the interim vice president or dean of business schools at other colleges and universities in the years since.
That includes an interim deanship at the Rubel School of Business at Bellarmine University in Kentucky and, most recently, a vice chancellorship/CFO position at Indiana University South Bend.
He also was the CEO of the Labor Management Council of Greater Kansas City, a Missouri nonprofit that describes its mission as "enhancing collaboration by solidifying trust and communication between labor and management in the community."
Petree will serve in the interim role until a permanent appointment to the vice presidency is made. ISU also is seeking a permanent president and a permanent athletics director.
ISU has an operating budget of $561.3 million for fiscal year 2024.
