PROVIDENCE – In a letter penned Monday by the Roger Williams University Board of Trustees, RWU President Donald J. Farish announced he would retire in June 2019, at the close of his current contract.
Upon his retirement, and in recognition of multiple accomplishments made during his, to-date, seven-year tenure, the board will bestow Farish with the honor of president emeritus.
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
The board said that those achievements include efforts to, in the words of Farish, “build the university the world needs now.”
In the letter, Farish thanked the RWU community saying he has “deeply appreciated the opportunity to serve” them.
He noted “enormous strides” had been made by the school in the past seven years – including launching the Community Partnerships Center and the Affordable Excellence program, opening the new Providence campus and hiring the school’s first-ever chief diversity officer.
“In the year ahead, the University will embark on a master planning process, and this provides a good opportunity to transition to a new president who can lead RWU into a promising future,” read Farish’s statement.
The board applauded his “groundbreaking progress” in community engagement, college affordability and equity.
Board chairman, Richard L. Bready, stated, “As president, Don Farish has done nothing less than redefine Roger Williams University, ushering in a new era of relevance, forging key partnerships with undeserved populations and providing students with the real-world experience needed to make them not only good employees but valuable members of their communities. … At the same time, he has taken bold steps to provide quality education to a new generation and charted a promising course for the University’s future. We look forward to a year of celebrating his achievements and envisioning how we can build on his accomplishments.”
Over the summer, the board will commence a nationwide search, with the aid of a yet-unidentified search firm, to fill Farish’s vacancy.
In their statement, the board added: “We believe the search will only be truly successful if the process includes input from faculty, staff, students and other RWU stakeholders.”
PBN sat one-on-one with Farish, RWU’s 10th president, in October to talk about his diversity and enrollment goals for the school looking ahead. That interview can be read online.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a staff writer for PBN. You can follow her on Twitter @FlashGowdey or contact her via email, gowdey-backus@pbn.com.
