NEWS
School officials did not disclose the type of cancer or the prognosis for Flack's recovery. Flack, 54, did not appear at the university news conference, and WSU officials said Flack requested that he not be contacted at his home. He learned of the diagnosis Monday.
In a written statement, Flack said, "I feel very confident that I will be able to beat this and to overcome the disease. I have excellent medical support and a strong and abiding spiritual faith in God. ... Since I have maintained a healthy lifestyle, I am automatically placed in a better position to lick this thing."
WSU trustees will meet Wednesday or Thursday to name an interim president for the two-month period, said Flack, WSU's president since February 1994.
Flack has begun treatments in the Dayton area for the disease and has made "major dietary changes" in his life, WSU Assistant Vice President for Public Relations Barry Johnson said. He will make further decisions next week about treatment options, Johnson said.
Lynnette Heard, executive assistant to the WSU president and the university's board of trustees, said Flack has decided not to release details of his illness or treatment at this time. Flack had no previous health problems, but experienced unspecified symptoms over the last couple of months that prompted him to seek medical help here and outside the Dayton area. The diagnosis, Heard said, was "quite a surprise" to Flack and his wife, Mignon. It followed weeks of diagnostic tests.
Flack told his cabinet Thursday morning then the university went through a process of informing the faculty and students and then the public.
Faculty and students said they were stunned by the disclosure.
"I can't imagine any more depressing news that we could get," said Jim Sayer, president of WSU's faculty.
Sayer said he had wondered why he hadn't seen Flack in the past few weeks, and expressed hope that Flack and doctors had caught the disease early enough for a full recovery.
"He's obviously very hopeful about it, and we're right there with him," Sayer said.
Donnell Gregory, WSU's student-government vice president, said the news was "overwhelming," and echoed Sayer's sentiment that he hopes the disease was caught in its early stages.
Flack's illness and leave of absence come at a crucial time for the school, but WSU officials made a point Thursday to say it will be business as usual the next two months.
"The university is going to be fine. It's not going to be off track," Johnson said flanked by WSU's vice presidents and other members of the president's cabinet.
Flack has "worked hard for three years putting things into place" and wants to see those initiatives continue during his leave, Johnson said. Under Flack's guidance, the university has adopted a strategic plan and other initiatives that target certain programs for growth and additional resources. The school this fall reversed a six-year trend of enrollment drops with a 1.8 percent increase, to 15,334 main-campus students.
Elaine Hairston, chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, said she and other state higher-education officials "stand ready to help" WSU's interim president and its board of trustees during Flack's leave.
"We will give Dr. Flack and Wright State our strongest level of support," Hairston said.
Brother Raymond Fitz, president of the University of Dayton, said word of Flack's illness was "a real shock ... I knew he hadn't been feeling well. In retrospect, it's apparent something was wrong."
Fitz, who has battled multiple sclerosis for nearly a decade, said, "He's obviously very shaken, but he's obviously a man of faith. The Lord will walk with him and Mignon as they go through this."
In his written statement, Flack said he will spend the next two months "resting and regaining my strength to meet the challenge head-on. ... I am asking for your prayers and well wishes during this time."
* TO SEND A CARD to Harley E. Flack, address it to Wright State University, President's office, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH 45435.
* CONTACT Mark Fisher at 225-2258; or e-mail him at mark_fisher@coxohio.com
ONLINE INFO
Harley E. Flack's statement to the community and his biography are available on the activeDayton home page at www.activedayton.com
PHOTO CREDIT: SKIP PETERSON/DAYTON DAILY NEWS