George Ross, Central Michigan University vice president for finance and administrative services, has been diagnosed with a form of acute leukemia and is undergoing treatment at the University of Michigan Hospitals, according to an announcement made Tuesday afternoon by CMU President Michael Rao.
In an e-mail sent to faculty and staff, Rao said Ross had asked for a leave of absence from CMU. That request was granted.
Barrie Wilkes, the university's associate vice president for financial services and reporting, will become interim vice president for finance and administrative services, effective immediately, Rao's announcement said.
"George will be receiving appropriate treatment," Rao's e-mail said. "I ask that you keep him and his wife Elizabeth in your thoughts and prayers."
Ross had recently been named president of Alcorn State University in Mississippi, but had not yet begun that job.
Ross joined CMU in December 2002.
A certified public accountant, Ross earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration at Michigan State University in East Lansing. He earned his doctorate in higher education from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard University.