President Brent DeVore announced his upcoming retirement in June 2009 through a campus e-mail to the Otterbein community on Tuesday evening.
"In talking to the Board of Trustees, I wanted to provide enough time to have a comprehensive nationwide search for my successor," said President DeVore.
An average tenure for a college president is between five and seven years; DeVore will be leaving Otterbein after 25.
"I came here with a hand-shake agreement to stay for five years and at the end of five years things were going well, so we had plans for another five years... Then you wake up one day and it's been 24 years going on 25 years," said DeVore.
Another reason DeVore chose to stay at Otterbein is because it is easy to stay an extended time at a school in a metropolitan area. "I've had four or five presidencies myself as the school has changed and as I have changed and we have developed new goals for the institution," said DeVore. "It is more challenging to stay for a longer period of time in a rural, isolated area. With all the dynamism of Columbus and central Ohio, we have a lot of opportunities."
Since his presidency started in 1984, endowment has increased from $6 million to $100 million. Faculty members with terminal degrees have grown from 45 percent to 90 percent and twelve facilities have also been constructed or renovated.
Vice President of Student Affairs Robert Gatti said, "Almost every hall on campus has been renovated during his tenure without strain to the budget."
"He will be missed; one of his admirable qualities is that he leads from the heart. He is a strong advocate for students and I think they will miss him as well."
As for hopes after retirement, DeVore plans to keep busy. "I will continue to be active professionally and I have some time to plan this," said DeVore. "I jokingly told my wife I want to learn to tap dance."
