On May 6, the College’s Board of Trustees unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee and named Thomas J. Hochstettler, vice president for academic affairs at International University Bremen, the 23rd president of Lewis & Clark College. He will assume his new post on August 16.

“Many of the students, faculty, and staff who met Tom during the search process found he demonstrated a genuine dedication to the liberal arts and a clear enthusiasm for Lewis & Clark, and I wholeheartedly agree,” says John E. Bates, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Along with the rest of the board, I am confident of Tom’s ability to sustain the College’s excellence while cultivating even greater distinction for Lewis & Clark on a national and international scale.”

Hochstettler, 56, helped found International University Bremen, an English-language, private research university in Germany. As vice president for academic affairs, he created and managed the infrastructure of the university’s academic and student life programs. Previously, he spent six years at Rice University, serving as associate provost and lecturer in history. He has also been chief planning officer for Bowdoin College and a senior staff officer in financial administration at Stanford University.

“The quality of all elements of Lewis & Clark is simply extraordinary,” says Hochstettler. “I feel most privileged to have been called to serve in this stimulating environment.”

An Ohio native, Hochstettler earned his bachelor’s degree from Earlham College and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan. He and his wife, Marcia Glas, have three sons: Will, 19; Taylor, 17; and Ben, 12.