Irvine : Ohio Professor Takes Temporary Post at UCI

Prof. Jerrold Petrofsky, who developed a computer-controlled system at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, to help the paralyzed walk, said Monday that he will come to UC Irvine “on a leave of absence” but will fight to preserve his program at Wright State.

Petrofsky, who has bought a house in Lake Forest, was interviewed on a Dayton television station Monday night. UC Irvine officials say Petrofsky, founder of Wright State’s National Center for Rehabilitation Engineering, has accepted a temporary appointment and is negotiating for a permanent position.

“I spent four years building this organization up, and I’m not going to give it up without a fight,” Petrofsky said in an interview with WHIO television.

“A month ago, I was saying, ‘Aw, the heck with it. The Dayton newspapers obviously don’t want me here; the university is feeding them a lot of information. They want to print it and the people of Dayton don’t want me, I’ll just leave.’ ” “Right now, I’m going back to the original game plan, get off to California on a leave of absence, fight hard for my organization, and if I can’t win that fight, the work with paralyzed people has to take precedence. I’ve got to preserve that research area and go where I have to to do it but not without a fight.”

There was no answer at Petrofsky’s home later in the evening.

Wright State President Paige Mulhollan said Petrofsky has made no formal request for a leave. Any leave would be unpaid, he said.