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TO THE PRESCOTT COLLEGE COMMUNITY
As you know, I have extended to the Board of Trustees my resignation from
the presidency of the College and the Board has accepted that resignation.
I will remain on campus and in office until the end of December and will
be working with the Board during that time to insure there is a smooth transition
to an interim administration. I know that I can call on you for help and
support in making sure that we accomplish that transition smoothly, and I
know the Board will depend on you as it makes decisions about the long-term
leadership of the College. The leadership of the Board will be conducting
a national search for your new president, and will engage the community in
that search as it is established and proceeds.
The three years I have spent at the College have been among the richest
in my life, both personally and professionally. This is a special place,
mainly because of the quality of the people who are here, and it has been
an honor to be a part of it. As I have thought about this decision, which
has not been an easy one, I have had occasion to reflect on both our accomplishments
and on the small moments that comprise a person's life. Gail and I will always
cherish the moments we have had together and take those with us to bring
out and review with delight over the years.
At the same time I have had occasion to think about my own personal and
professional life of late - perhaps because my own son is graduating and
we have been talking about his plans. A large part of my career has been
spent working outside the United States, or at home with people and organizations
from nations of the South. I recognize in myself a commitment to working
in the international arena for justice, for peace, and for equity - all of
the things Prescott College seeks to further. Prescott College has a role
to play in the global community through the clear and wonderful values held
by every one of you and that permeates our programs. It is not as direct
a role, however, as I might want for myself. Our mission calls for people
to serve the natural and human environment of the world, guided by ethical
standards explicit in our programs and actions. I think I can best carry
out that mission by working in other vineyards, as personally painful as
that decision has been. With the College firmly on track and in the strong
hands of the deans, faculty, staff, and students I believe this is the time
when I can now turn my attention to assisting others in the international
arena.
Looking at the new buildings, the new classes, and the new faces on campus
and in our community based programs I am proud of the things we have done
together. The College is a place that is stronger and more secure than it
was three years ago. We have begun to build a steadier and growing financial
base from which to plan for the future, we have increased salaries significantly
for the faculty and staff who will build that future, and we have added to
the material resources of the College in countless ways.
Prescott College has never been an institution whose resources were solely,
or even mainly, physical, of course. We have together constructed a framework
within which the College will grow as an institution that honors the past,
cherishes the present moment, and builds towards a future that will demonstrate
for others how an institution can live a mission as well as talk about it.
We have begun a generation long initiative to construct an integrated and
environmentally responsible campus which will build on the intellectual and
ethical strength of the College, as we have increased its financial and physical
base. Faculty, staff, and alumni working with successive generations of students
will create a College that lives its mission as fully as it teaches it. If
there is one contribution of which I am most proud, it is this one.
The recognition of the College in the broader communities of which we are
part has also expanded and increased. Our alumni association is strong and
growing, and the number of people who support us financially as well as in
spirit stands at record numbers. Success has built on success and there is
a confidence in the institution among people who watch us from outside that
has begun to match the confidence you have always felt in yourselves and
in the idea of Prescott College. That sense of pride and self-confidence
is wholly justified. Your record of overcoming difficulties, seizing on opportunities,
and bringing to life dreams of the future is unsurpassed. Serving such an
institution, and such a group of people, has been a labor of love for me
and for Gail, and we will miss being a part of that bright future in which
I have every faith. All of you are present in my heart and mind, and I will
carry you with me.
Neal Mangham
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