Dear Members of the Lesley Community,
I am writing to share with you some important news. President Weiss has informed the Board of Trustees and me that he will step down from the presidency effective August 31, 2018 due to personal health reasons. While we wish the circumstances were different, we respect and support Jeff with this difficult decision.
After careful consideration, the Board has appointed Dr. Richard Hansen, current Interim Provost, to the role of Interim President. Rich has graciously and enthusiastically accepted this appointment and will become Interim President effective September 1, 2018. Because Rich has been working closely with President Weiss and the entire university community in his current role, his willingness to serve in an interim capacity ensures that the university will benefit from experienced leadership and stability while we continue to move forward with current initiatives and launch a search for our next president. Jeff will be available as a resource to Rich during the transition. Many of you may be aware that Rich had previously agreed to serve as the Interim Dean at GSOE. He will serve as Interim Dean for the months of July and August, but his service as Interim President precludes his continuing in that role after September 1. Options are currently being explored to ensure strong leadership for GSOE. Jeff and Rich will share those plans with the community as soon as possible.
I realize that leadership transition can be unsettling, and I appreciate your patience and support as we move through this process. Lesley is well-positioned to continue to achieve its mission and we have incredible faculty, staff and administrators to carry us forward. Our long-term strategic planning work focused on Lesley 2030 will continue as planned, as well as the shorter-term initiatives that are underway. The Board has every confidence in our senior leadership team. We know that they will work seamlessly with Rich as Interim President to guide Lesley forward skillfully and with minimal disruption.
Together with the Board and others, I am working to outline the search process for our next president. The selection of the next president will be made by the Board of Trustees and we are committed to involving the Lesley community in the search process. As has been our practice, we expect a search committee will be comprised of trustees, faculty, and administrators. I will be in touch as the plans evolve.
Much has been accomplished under Jeff’s leadership during the past two years. We will have opportunities to thank him for his service and celebrate his accomplishments in the coming months. Although it would be impossible to include everything, I do want to acknowledge some of the excellent progress Lesley has made under Jeff’s leadership. Academic accomplishments include the approval of a bachelor’s degree in social work; launching the Lesley Global Academic Advantage pathway program; achieving full accreditation for our business program; and the expansion of our animation facilities in our College of Art and Design. University-wide accomplishments include establishing the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and appointing the first Chief Diversity Officer; establishing the Office of Strategy and Implementation, appointing its first Vice President, and launching the Lesley 2030 strategic planning initiative; testing new enrollment strategies; and implementing a new practice of financial modeling and business case development for new programs and other strategic investments. Additional strategic initiatives include strengthening our inclusive excellence work, enhancing our focus on sexual assault awareness and prevention, implementing a high-performance culture, and broadening our support for commuter students.
As Chair of the Board of Trustees, I can assure you that the Board and I are excited about Lesley’s future. We are confident that the university is in an excellent position to achieve its goals and serve its students well—we have a long, proud history of doing so. We know that we will be even stronger as we move forward. Thank you very much for your support and involvement as we engage in this important work and, as always, thank you for your commitment to Lesley every day.
Sincerely,
Hans Strauch
Chair, Board of Trustees