President Arbery to Retire from Presidency at Completion of 2024 Academic Year
Dr. Glenn Arbery, who has served as Wyoming Catholic College’s president since May 2016, has informed the College’s Board of Directors of his intention to retire as president at the completion of his current contract, which will end in June 2024. As a result of this decision, the Board’s Presidential Succession Committee has officially opened its search for his successor.
“It continues to be my privilege to serve in this role,” says Dr. Arbery, “and I am eager to help in the choice of the next president, who must recognize the uniqueness of this Catholic college. There is a call to heroism implicit in our mission. We have a wonderfully coherent curriculum and an excellent faculty. We also have a campus that challenges the usual assumptions. When I first stepped into the role, we had just begun to think about making downtown Lander our permanent home. Now, thanks to our donors and the vision of our Board, the College has a strong presence along 3rd Street—from our Oratory on the south to the corner of Main Street, where the Baldwin and Orchard buildings anchor our campus, to our COR building and our cafeteria on the north—as well as a classroom building further to the west, and new housing for our students along the Middle Fork, much closer to our downtown buildings than their previous accommodations. I am looking forward to watching my successor solidify our presence and draw this unique campus into greater coherence.”
Marie deLorimier Wilmer, the head of the Board’s Presidential Succession Committee, recognizes the challenge and the opportunity this news presents. “The next President of Wyoming Catholic College will be charged with the daunting task of building on the accomplishments of Dr. Arbery and those who came before him,” she says. “The next President must rely on a complete understanding of the College’s Philosophical Vision Statement to simultaneously integrate the founders’ vision and set in motion a comprehensive plan for the next era of the college.”
Thankfully, the College community will not be required to say good-by to Dr. Arbery altogether. “When I step down,” he says, “I plan to take a year to write, and then hope to continue to teach here part-time. With God’s help, we can make these next 20 months a fruitful time, both of growth and of preparation, as we find the right person to make a smooth transition into the future of WCC.”
Candidates will send a letter of interest to the Succession Committee, addressing how their background and qualifications match those of the presidential profile. The Committee will begin reviewing applicants in the late Fall of 2022, with members of the committee conducting extensive phone interviews to narrow the applicant pool before inviting a limited number of finalists to campus for in-person interviews with the Board of Directors, the Succession Committee, and key college constituencies. The Board intends to finalize the appointment by Fall 2023, so that the new President can assume office on July 1, 2024.
More information on the search can be found HERE.