Chief of San Diego's National University turned school into a top contender. From: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News | Date: September 21, 2004 | COPYRIGHT 2004 Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

By Bruce V. Bigelow, The San Diego Union-Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Sep. 21--When Jerry C. Lee was named president of San Diego's National University in 1989, the private institution was on the verge of imploding. The nonprofit school for adult learning was nearly $10 million in debt, reeling from accreditation problems and driven by internal hostilities.

"I'm not sure they told him how bad it was when he first came out," Lee's wife, Joan...