Dr. John Jasinski, left, the newly selected president for Northwest Missouri State University, jokes with psychology department chair Carla Edwards at a press conference on Friday. Jasinski previously served as executive vice president and chief academic and operating officer for Northwood University in Midland, Mich.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — Dr. John Jasinski promises not to give preference to the students. He also promises not to give preference to faculty.

Instead, the new president of Northwest Missouri State University promises to be “people centered.”

Dr. Jasinski on Friday afternoon was formally introduced as Northwest’s 10th president.

“We will commit to all of you faculty, students, staff, Northwest Missouri and the great state of Missouri to bring this university forward and bring it to where we need it to be,” Dr. Jasinski said.

Dr. Jasinski replaces Dr. Dean Hubbard, who has served as president of the university in Maryville for 25 years. Dr. Hubbard will now retire a month earlier — at the end of June — and Dr. Jasinski will begin as president on July 1, said Northwest Board of Regents President Bill Loch.

Dr. Jasinski asked the crowd of about 50 to applaud Dr. Hubbard and his wife, Aleta. Dr. Hubbard didn’t attend Dr. Jasinski’s introduction Friday, as he was reportedly on vacation, though Dr. Jasinski said they spoke by phone Friday morning.

He also said he spoke to Congressman Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, on Friday about opportunities for improvement between Northwest and the broader community. Dr. Jasinski served on the Maryville City Council while previously on staff at Northwest.

He also said he’ll first look internally to replace cabinet vacancies, including the university’s general counsel and chief of staff, who the board fired earlier this year without consulting Dr. Hubbard.

Asked about the students’ relationship with the board — including the student senate’s vote of no confidence in the board and a request to remove Mr. Loch — Dr. Jasinski said “communication goes a long way.”

“Sometimes there’s a lot behind the curtain that was not clear, but the intent was good,” Dr. Jasinski said.

Dr. Jasinski offered no specifics for issues he hoped to improve, saying each aspect would need to be considered. He did note that a great challenge would be dealing with the economy, and he’d focus on budget analysis to be sure the university can respond to challenges.

Dr. Jasinski opened his remarks by thanking “our creator,” saying “God is great.” He then introduced his family, including four children ages 8 to 21 and his wife, Denise, who graduated from Northwest.

Mr. Loch opened Friday’s event by discussing his involvement and oversight of the board and the president search committee. He said he sees Northwest as a book.

“We’ve had nine chapters. We’re about to write the 10th chapter,” Mr. Loch said. “We have selected the person to script that chapter.”

Dr. Jasinski, a Michigan native, came to Northwest in 1986 at the behest of a former professor who said it would be a good place to start his career in education. After a stint as the chairman of the department of mass communications, he took the position of assistant provost before leaving in 2001.

He has since presided over his own consultation firm and was, at the time of his hiring as president, the Northwood University executive vice president and chief academic and operating officer since 2007. The school is located in Midland, Mich.

Joe Blumberg can be reached at joeblumberg@npgco.com.