Dear Willamette community:

Today is a significant day in the history of Willamette University.

President Pelton’s announcement that he will be leaving Willamette at the
conclusion of the current academic year marks a moment when we can
acknowledge the significant achievements during his tenure while, at the
same time, begin the process of selecting a new leader to continue the
evolution of this remarkable institution.

I want to express the Board of Trustees’ gratitude for President Pelton’s

distinguished stewardship of Willamette. There will be a number of
opportunities over the coming months to recognize his many contributions,
but we can’t begin the process of seeking his replacement without
acknowledging what Lee has meant to us.

When Lee was inaugurated as Willamette’s 22nd president in 1999, the

Statesman-Journal described him this way: “M. Lee Pelton is an Ivy Leaguer
in the land of Pendleton plaid shirts. He’s an East Coast intellectual with
a Midwesterner’s sensibilities. He’s a black man in a predominantly white
state, an academic in a CEO’s role, a man of letters in a job that requires
crunching the numbers, a man of faith in the largely unchurched Northwest.”

With the benefit of nearly thirteen years’ hindsight, it is clear that this
apparent 'misfit' was precisely the right fit for Willamette. He has raised
the profile of Willamette in every important aspect of a university’s
reputation. He has provided vision, inspiration and leadership to create a
more vibrant intellectual community that is deeply committed to the values
expressed in our motto, Not unto ourselves alone are we born. His calm,
confident and passionate stewardship has brought all of us to an admirable
place, both in our community and outside it, and it is difficult to imagine
Willamette without his leadership.

Lee’s agreement to continue his service to Willamette through the academic

year allows us to begin a thoughtful and orderly process that is designed to
have his successor in place prior to the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

As provided in the University’s Bylaws, it is the Board’s obligation to

select the University’s next president. To that end, I will soon name a
search committee charged with initiating and managing a process that will
ultimately result in the committee’s recommending a potential successor for
consideration by the Board. It is my intention to assemble a committee that
includes trustees, faculty, students, staff and alumni. The committee will
work with one of the leading national educational search firms to establish
a process and identify candidates. I am hopeful that the process will be as
transparent as possible given the constraints that are always inherent in
significant personnel matters.

The committee’s work will be greatly enhanced by the results of the

recently-concluded strategic planning process, which has provided a very
effective expression of our community’s shared priorities as we continue to
build one of the country’s finest universities.

Change can be difficult, but it also creates new opportunities. I look

forward to the coming year with confidence that we will ultimately select as
Willamette’s 23rd president someone who will continue to build on the
distinguished collective legacy that reflects the vision and leadership of
the 22 presidents who have come before them.

Thank you in advance for your support as we begin a new chapter in

Willamette’s distinguished history.

Sincerely,

Steven E. Wynne, Chair

Board of Trustees