The University of Findlay - Ruse Named New UF Dana Chair

William E. Ruse, J.D.,
will serve as Dana Chair
for the 2006-2007
academic year.

Mr. William E. Ruse, J.D., president emeritus of the Blanchard Valley Health Association, will serve as The University of Findlay’s Dana Chair and executive-in-residence for the 2006-2007 academic year.

Each year, the University chooses a distinguished executive to serve as the Dana Chair, a position funded by the Dana Corporation. The Dana Chair serves as a mentor for a chosen group of Dana Scholars who work as a group for the year. They take a class together, work on group projects and visit many local industries where they interact with top-level executives.

Ruse will share his business expertise with the group of 10 top business students throughout the year. The group will interact with top-level representatives from area organizations such as Findlay Publishing Co., Moyer Financial Services, Key Bank, Fresh Encounter Inc., Findlay Ford Lincoln Mercury and many others. Ruse also will be available as a guest speaker to UF classes and other campus functions.

Business students will benefit from Ruse’s extensive business background. Last year, he joined the firm of CareTech Solutions Inc. as a consultant and business development executive. In 2003, he was named interim president and CEO of Galion Community Hospital until an individual was found to permanently fill the post, and he was appointed by the Federal Bankruptcy Court in Toledo, Ohio, to manage MediCare Orthopedics and Hospital Equipment Co. Ruse continues to serve as the firm’s liquidating trustee. He retired from Blanchard Valley Health Association in 2001 after serving as its president and CEO for 36 years.

Ruse also has been associated with the Findlay, Ohio, law firm of Drake, Phillips, Kuenzli and Clark where he served as attorney-at-law and specialized in health care law and health care strategic planning.

At The University of Findlay, Ruse serves on the board of trustees and the pharmacy advisory board. In 2003, he was appointed by Governor Taft to the Ohio Workforce Policy Board. A Rotarian since 1983 and a member of the Findlay Rotary Club, Ruse is active in community affairs. He has served as the Findlay Rotary Club’s president, and he has Chaired the past president’s committee. Following two terms as an assistant governor of Rotary International, Ruse served three terms as Chairperson of the assistant governors committee and served as governor for the Rotary’s District 6600 for the 2003-2004 Rotary year. In addition to Rotary, he has been involved with the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, the Findlay-Hancock County Community Development Foundation, the Arts Partnership, St. Michael Church building committee and Ohio Patient Safety Institute.

Also during his career, Ruse taught health care law at the University of Toledo and Lima Technical College and courses in hospital management at Bowling Green State University.

After graduating from Collinwood High School in Cleveland, Ohio, Ruse received a bachelor of science in pharmacy from Ohio Northern University. He went on to earn a M.B.A. in health administration from Xavier University and a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the University of Toledo. The University of Findlay awarded Ruse an honorary doctor of healthcare management degree in 1997, and Ohio Northern University granted him an honorary doctor of public service degree in 2003.

The new Dana Chair lives with his wife, Donna, in Findlay.

Dana Corporation is a leading supplier of axle, driveshaft, engine, frame, chassis, and transmission technologies, and employs 46,000 people in 28 countries. The company is based in Toledo, Ohio, and reported sales of $9.1 billion in 2004.