The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg announced this morning that its Board of Governors has decided not to renew the contract of President Aaron Podolefsky.

Podolefsky has been president there for about five years. His contract will expire on June 30, 2010.

The decision to let his contract run out was made during a closed meeting on Oct. 2. The board will soon announce details of its presidential search process, “which will include a wide range of stakeholders,” a news release said.

“We appreciate the contributions President Podolefsky has made in leading the university through a name change, the current construction projects, and successful efforts to improve the academic profile of the university,” said Richard Phillips, the board president, in the news release. “We anticipate a smooth transition as we work through this process.”

Jeff Morris, a university spokesman, said it is a personnel matter and the university is not commenting further on the matter at this time. Podolefsky, meanwhile, is apparently away on a fund-raising trip today.

The student newspaper at UCM reported last month that 125 faculty members had submitted a petition to the board asking it to renew Podolefsky’s contract. The story noted that 72 percent of the Faculty Senate approved of his leadership in the 2008-2009 academic year. I’m not sure if that was a survey or vote. The student newspaper also reported that a community poll by the Faculty Senate showed more than 70 percent of community members supported Podolefsky.

Podolefsky was recently a finalist to become president at Georgia Southern University, but Morris said he withdrew his name last week.

Soon after he arrived at the school in 2005, Podolefsky brought the campus and community together around an initiative to change the school’s name, which was then Central Missouri State University.

A biography prepared by the university notes that under Podolefsky’s tenure, the university last year had its largest freshman class and largest total enrollment in 15 years. The school has also had its highest graduation rate and job placement rate in the school’s history.

Podolefsky also successfully sought the school’s first-ever federal earmarks, which helped the school expand its airport and to start an autism clinic. He has also been involved in campus sustainability initiatives.

The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday.com/thegrade.