Gordon College president Larry Weill announced today that he will retire from his position soon. Weill distributed this e-mail to members of the Gordon Foundation. I am hopeful that you will read this message before you learn the news elsewhere, but I announced my intent to retire from my position as Gordon president this morning. I wanted to first make this announcement to the faculty and staff of the College. I love Gordon College and treasure the time I have spent on this campus as president. Change is a healthy thing for an academic community and new leadership will be good for Gordon. Thus, I am retiring at the end of the this academic year. My retirement will likely take place between the end of the spring classes and the start of the new fiscal year. My plans are to take a year to return to study in the field of philosophy and after this year I intend to return to Gordon College as a professor in philosophy. This plan is one I sought and it has been approved by the Chancellor. Since many presidents come to the position from the academic arena this program is one the University System has in place to allow presidents to continue as faculty members. I have missed teaching and am very excited about returning to the classroom. Please know that I value my relationship with you. I urge you to continue to support Gordon College through the Foundation. Much will be required to meet the challenges ahead, but I am optimistic that Gordon has an excellent faculty and a strong leadership team and that with your support the College can do even more great things to serve the people of Georgia. Sincerely, Larry Weill Soon after the foundation e-mail was distributed, the college issued this press release: Lawrence Weill, president of Gordon College since April 2002, announced today that he is stepping down from the presidency at the end of the academic year. Weill plans to take a year to renew his studies and then return to Gordon College as faculty member in the field of philosophy. Weill will leave his position sometime between the end of classes in May and the beginning of the fiscal year which starts July 1. His plans to return to the classroom will continue a lifelong dream, he said. ’I wanted to be a college professor when I was a child, although I did not know any professors or even exactly what professors do,’ he said. ‘Some of my colleagues at the presidential level will perhaps see this as a step downward. I do not.’ During Weill’s tenure Gordon has moved from two-year to state college status and has added three baccalaureate level programs, Early Childhood Education, Nursing and Biology. Four new residence halls were constructed, the Student Center and Bookstore were enlarged and construction has begun on a state-of the art Nursing and Allied Health Building. Enrollment has increase by 50 percent and a Student Success Center was developed. The Kentucky native came to Gordon College from Hopkinsville Community College in Hopkinsville, Ky. where he served as dean of academic affairs. He had also served as a member of the HCC humanities faculty since 1993. Weill has published numerous papers on topics such as student advisement, peer tutoring and the arts. He most recently published the book, Out In Front: The College President as the Face of the Institution. ’A dynamic institution needs to embrace change every so often,’ Weill said. ‘I believe college presidents can serve a great deal by stepping aside at the right moment and letting someone new, with a different vision and a different style take over. That kind of growth is healthy, and will ensure the college continues to advance.’ The Board of Regents will conduct a national search for the next president.
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