Page 6 - WesternU View Summer 2019

Outgoing provost reflects on

33 years at WesternU

ary Gugelchuk, PhD, joined the College of
Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in 1986 as an assistant
Gprofessor of health professions education. Over the ensuing
years, he’s held a dizzying array of positions, including dean, vice
president, and interim president, to name just a few. In June 2019, he
stepped down as Chief Operating Officer and Provost, a post he had
held since 2012, and transitioned to Provost Emeritus.

On the eve of his semi-retirement, Dr. Gugelchuk sat down with
WesternU View and reflected on his time at the University.
View: What brought a young man out West from the Midwest, to
a college that wasn’t even very old at the time?
GG: Well, I could just say my car … Actually, I’d been working
on designing a geriatrics curriculum for osteopathic medical
students across the country. AACOM (American Association
of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine) had decided it would
get into, as it was called then, “the 12th osteopathic medical
school,” and started competing with the other ones for
grants and contracts from the federal government. So they
got one to boost the content in geriatrics, and it was there
where I met (College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
staff) … and then I had known (COMP Associate Professor)
Jerry Bales from earlier work that I did at Ohio State. ... So that
project was ending, and (COMP) called me up and said, “We’ve
got this AHEC (federal Area Health Education Center) grant.
We’ve had it almost half a year, and we’re not quite sure what to do
with it. Why don’t you come out here and take a look at it?” And
they flew me out. It was then that I learned if they’re going to call
you out for an interview, it might as well be a consulting
agreement, and just give them a good day’s consultancy if nothing
else, and that’s sort of how the day went on. And then later I had a
call back that said, “We’d like to hire you to help implement this
grant.” So I moved out here.

4 | WESTERNU VIEW Summer/Fall 2019