June 19, 2009

President Hochstettler set to depart for new position

Lewis & Clark President Thomas J. Hochstettler informed the campus community today that he will leave Lewis & Clark at the end of July to take up the reins as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Lewis & Clark President Thomas J. Hochstettler informed the campus community today that he will leave Lewis & Clark at the end of July to take up the reins as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.  Hochstettler, who announced in March his intention to resign as Lewis & Clark’s president, will serve as head of the faculty and all academic programs at AUS.  The premier English-language university in the Arab world, AUS enrolls approximately 5,000 students in liberal arts studies as well as engineering, architecture and design, and business administration.

Commenting on Hochstettler’s departure, chair of the Lewis & Clark Board of Trustees Ronald Ragen said, “Tom took over at Lewis & Clark at a troubled time in the college’s history, and he has done an extraordinary job in stabilizing the college and in launching it to a much higher level of national distinction.  He will be a hard act to follow.”  Ragen added that a presidential search committee was named in March, following Hochstettler’s announcement that he will be leaving the college.  “We will be announcing shortly the interim arrangements for the leadership of Lewis & Clark between Tom’s departure and the naming of the new president.”

Lewis & Clark has gained significantly in national recognition under Hochstettler’s leadership, as measured by the dramatic increase in the number of applications for admission and by in the extraordinary rise in the national rankings in the past few years.  Upon his arrival in August 2004, Hochstettler led efforts to solidify the finances and to bolster the fund-raising capabilities of the college.  Under his guidance, the college has enjoyed an extraordinary increase in the level of donor support and in the amount of federal and foundation funding for faculty research.  The college has also achieved top marks in the area of environmental education, particularly in the field of environmental law.

Hochstettler came to Lewis & Clark from International University Bremen, where he was the founding vice president for academic affairs.  Hochstettler had previously held faculty and senior administrative positions at Stanford University, Bowdoin College, and Rice University.  He received his undergraduate degree from Earlham College and his MA and PhD in history from the University of Michigan.

Noting that he and his wife will be keeping a home in Portland, Hochstettler said he looked forward to maintaining his ties to Lewis & Clark and the city. “We’ve grown to love Lewis & Clark and look forward to staying in touch with the many, many friends we’ve made here.” he said.  “Of the myriad places we’ve lived and worked, none has touched us as deeply as Portland.   We have put down our roots here, and we will be back.”