After 16 years with Saint Louis University, Chief Financial
Officer and Vice President of Business and Finance Rob Altholz will
be leaving the University in mid-October. He has accepted the
position of chief financial officer at Long Island University in
New York.

Altholz said he has considered the move from his position for
about a year. He has been at SLU since 1987, a long time for a
significant administrative position, he said.

“I could do what I’m doing here now, but there’s a little part
of everybody that wants to move on to a new challenge,” Altholz
said.

About six months ago an executive search firm called Altholz to
let him know about the opening at Long Island University. After
going through the selection process, Altholz was offered the
position in July.

“I thought about it for a long time,” Altholz said. “It was not
a black-and-white decision.”

Being from the east, the university is located in an area of the
country he is familiar with. Altholz also felt a connection with
David Steinberg, president of LIU.

“We personally and professionally clicked,” he said.

LIU also offers the potential for great opportunities, Altholz
said. The university has approximately 30,000 students, 17,000 of
those full-time, on three campuses located in Brooklyn, Southampton
and in Brookville, N.Y., on Long Island’s north shore. It has an
operating budget of approximately $300 million, compared to SLU’s
$500 million.

LIU may be a larger school; however, it does not have a medical
school, something that Altholz had to deal with at SLU. As CFO at
SLU, Altholz was in charge of both educational and patient care
budgets. About 25 to 30 percent of SLU’s revenue comes from patient
care, Altholz said.

According to Altholz, University President Lawrence Biondi,
S.J., backed him in the decision, when he told Biondi a little over
a month ago.

“It’s been an extraordinary experience to be here at a time when
the President of the University has a vision and expectations for
the University,” he said. “To be CFO at this time…It’s been very
gratifying to be in such a role.”

He also praised his staff, the vice presidents and the deans
that he has worked with.

Altholz is planning on staying through mid-October, after which
an interim CFO will take over. He expects the interim to be named
within the next few weeks. The University will then undergo a
national search to find a permanent replacement.

“I look forward to coming back for the first basketball game in
the new arena and the dedication of the research building,” Altholz
said.

“This is not an easy place to leave; it’s been a great
experience and the people here are phenomenal. I’m going to leave
with tears in my eyes,” Altholz said. “It’s just time.”