President to Step Down

Lewis & Clark President Tom Hochstettler has announced his plan to resign in June 2010.

“To leave Lewis & Clark has not been an easy choice, but I have come to realize that the great work that brought my family and me here five years ago has been largely achieved,” Hochstettler says. “It is time for a change in leadership for this wonderful college, and this is a propitious moment for my wife, Marcia, and me to seek out new challenges and opportunities.”

Ronald Ragen, chair of the Board of Trustees, saluted Hochstettler for his service to Lewis & Clark.

“Tom Hochstettler has done an excellent job. Under his leadership, this college has progressed to the point where we are stronger than we have ever been, and better able to deliver on our mission to educate the next generation of engaged thinkers and leaders,” said Ragen, an attorney with the Portland law firm Davis Wright Tremaine. “After arriving as president at a difficult time for the institution, Tom has done a tremendous job of building quality, stabilizing the college’s finances, and leading us to a position of strength.”

Lewis & Clark has gained significantly in national recognition under Hochstettler’s leadership. In addition, he has led successful efforts to clarify and strengthen the institution’s mission, identity, and strategic planning and to unify Lewis & Clark’s three schools, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education and Counseling, and the School of Law.

“Looking back over these past five years, I think we all have a great deal to be proud of,” Hochstettler says. “I am tremendously grateful for having had the opportunity to lead Lewis & Clark and for having become a part of the Lewis & Clark community.”

Ragen says a presidential search committee will be formed this spring to begin the process of finding a successor.