Harrisburg – The search for a successor to West Chester University of Pennsylvania President Madeleine Wing Adler, who has announced she will retire June 30, 2008, has been canceled. Below is the text of a letter sent today by Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Chancellor Judy G. Hample to the campus community concerning the decision to cancel the search and to initiate a new search late this spring. The objective will be to have a new president at West Chester no later than July 1, 2009:

Dear Colleagues:

After consulting with the Chairman of the Board of Governors, the Council of Trustees, campus leadership, the search committee and others closely involved in the presidential search process, I have determined that it is in the best interests of West Chester University and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to cancel the current selection process.

Following a series of preliminary interviews, the search committee invited six candidates for the position of president of West Chester University of Pennsylvania to participate in campus interviews. Subsequently, two of the six candidates – including the only remaining candidate with CEO experience in higher education – decided to withdraw their names from further consideration.

When the search process began, the Board of Governors and I anticipated a large and strong pool of candidates. For a variety of reasons, and some beyond anyone’s control, the initial candidate pool was neither large nor outstanding in the overall depth of candidates one might expect for a university such as West Chester. Consequently, I believe the University and State System will be served better by canceling the current search and selecting an Interim President for a year. A new search will be initiated late this spring. When that search process is convened, the current members of the search committee will continue to serve.

The decision to cancel the search was a difficult but necessary one. I want to thank the many representatives of the West Chester University community, including the search committee members and the Council of Trustees, for their excellent work and for the extraordinary amount of time and effort they have devoted to this process. The fine work of all of those involved is representative of this outstanding University and the tremendous opportunity it presents to its next leader.

Upon Dr. Adler’s retirement on June 30, Dr. Linda Lamwers, provost and vice president for academic affairs at West Chester University , will serve as the University’s interim president until the selection of a new president is completed. Dr. Lamwers will not be a candidate for the position.

West Chester University of Pennsylvania has so very much to offer its community and the Commonwealth; I am confident that by working together we can identify an outstanding 21^st century leader for this great institution.

With more than 110,000 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth.The 14 PASSHE universities offer degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. Approximately 405,000 PASSHE alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.

The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. PASSHE also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Freeport, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.