Roger Mandle, who has led Rhode Island School of Design since 1993, expanding the college’s faculty and facilities, growing the endowment fivefold, and dramatically increasing RISD’s community involvement, said Friday that he plans to leave the schol next year.
Mandle, the longest-serving president in RISD’s history, announced in a letter posted on the school’s Web site that he wouldn’t seek renewal of his contract, which expires July 31, 2008.
In the letter, Mandle, 65, revealed that he had interviewed for “an important position” elsewhere last summer, and while he didn’t get that job, he realized “that there were other avenues of professional opportunity that I wanted to explore before my career path ended.”
In a news release, RISD said Mandle had chosen to provide plenty of advance notice to allow plenty of time to find a successor and have a “smooth and successful transition,” and to be able to complete an ongoing strategic planning process.
Clara Dale, a RISD alumna and chair of the board of trustees, said in the news release that Mandle’s departure would “mark the close of an historic chapter.” She added: “Through his intellect, dedication, and creativity he has propelled RISD into the highest academic realm of international standing.”
RISD cited among Mandle’s accomplishments:
“The Mandle legacy,” Dale said, “is one that future presidents will strive to emulate. The initiatives he began now drive the academic strength, financial stability and campus life that will shape RISD’s future generations. Because of President Mandle’s leadership and accomplishments RISD is now firmly established as a member of an elite community of internationally renowned academic institutions.”
Mandle’s letter is posted here.
