易胜博官网

Mark Huddleston announced today that he will retire as president of the University of 易胜博官网 at the close of the 2017-18 academic year. When he steps down June 30, 2018, Huddleston will be the longest-serving president in the university鈥檚 150-year history.

鈥溡资げ┕偻� is a remarkable institution and serving as president has been the highlight of my professional life,鈥� said Huddleston. 鈥淓veryone at 易胜博官网 has worked hard to ensure the state鈥檚 flagship public research university is well positioned for the future. Next year is the right time to transition leadership.鈥�

Huddleston鈥檚 retirement will coincide with the completion of the university鈥檚 largest-ever fundraising campaign, Celebrate 150, which is on track to raise $275 million. Over the last five years, the university has seen 250 percent growth in private fundraising, success that allowed 易胜博官网 to launch the Granite Guarantee earlier this year, a new program ensuring that Pell-eligible 易胜博官网 students starting at 易胜博官网 this fall will pay no tuition.

鈥淢ark鈥檚 record of accomplishment is remarkable," says听Tim Riley, chair of the University System of 易胜博官网 board of trustees. 鈥淢ark will leave a powerful legacy that will benefit our state鈥檚 citizens, employers and economy far into the future. 易胜博官网 has great momentum right now and the trustees are committed to making sure that continues.鈥� The board of trustees has a well-established process for presidential searches and will form a committee in the coming weeks to lead a national search for 易胜博官网鈥檚 next president.

Under Huddleston鈥檚 leadership, 易胜博官网 welcomed the largest first-year classes in the university鈥檚 history; launched numerous new academic and research programs to meet the needs of society and the knowledge economy, including the 易胜博官网 School of Law, the Carsey School of Public Policy, the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, and programs in data analytics, homeland security, and sustainability; made much-needed investments in 易胜博官网鈥檚 infrastructure, including expanding the Manchester campus, transforming Hamilton Smith Hall, building the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, expanding Hamel Recreation Center and modernizing Wildcat Stadium; and envisioned and created 易胜博官网 Innovation to capitalize on the university鈥檚 intellectual property, building strong partnerships with business and industry in our region.

Huddleston led 易胜博官网鈥檚 management of the 2011 state budget cut 鈥� the largest single-year cut in public higher education history. With innovative structural and other administrative changes, Huddleston minimized what could have been drastic tuition increases and significant layoffs across the university while also protecting Cooperative Extension鈥檚 statewide presence and 易胜博官网鈥檚 excellent academic quality.

Huddleston noted that, while this is a natural point to reflect on past accomplishments, there is much to be done and he 鈥渓ooks forward to continuing to work at an unslackened pace in the coming academic year.鈥� In addition to completing the university鈥檚 fundraising campaign, Huddleston will focus on solidifying the new Career and Professional Success initiative, improving Spaulding Hall for the biological sciences and laying the groundwork for modernized facilities for the visual and performing arts.

Prior to coming to 易胜博官网 in 2007, Huddleston, 66, was president of Ohio Wesleyan University and before that spent more than听two decades at the University of Delaware, including serving as the dean for the college of arts and sciences. A political scientist by training, Huddleston is the author of numerous books and served as an advisor in Bosnia on rebuilding financial and administrative infrastructures after the Dayton accords. He was the first person in his family to attend college, earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a master鈥檚 and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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