Press Release

Dr. Larry Large to Retire as Oglethorpe University President

Atlanta – Dr. Larry D. Large has announced that he will retire as president of Oglethorpe University in August 2005.  “I am proud of the momentum that the university has developed in recent years; we are increasing enrollment, beginning construction of new residence halls, and completing a long series of planning and marketing initiatives,” Large said.  “These plans provide for future campus improvements that will support our enrollment strategy and the growth of our endowment.”

With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Large was appointed the university’s 15^th president in November 1998 and assumed official responsibility in April 1999.  Previously, Large had served as vice president at Willamette University and the University of Oregon, vice chancellor of the Oregon University System, and executive vice president at Reed College.  Oglethorpe Board of Trustees Chairman Warren Jobe described Large as a leader who brought structure and creative strategies to the university amid growing challenges to American higher education.  “Dr. Large has contributed significantly to the development of Oglethorpe and our community.  He has strengthened the infrastructure and has attracted strong administrative and academic leadership during his tenure.”  He praised Large’s leadership and his impact on the university’s future.  Jobe said the process to begin a national search to replace Large will begin immediately.  Belle Turner Lynch, Oglethorpe Class of 1961 and chair-elect of the Board of Trustees, will lead the search for Large’s successor.

Among his accomplishments during his six years as president, Large has:

• Completed an institutional strategic plan, an integrated marketing plan, and a campus master plan to guide the university’s future development
   

• Established new programs to serve alumni and the community and to encourage their participation in the intellectual and artistic life of the campus, including the Oglethorpe Women’s Network and collaborative programs with the Southern Center for International Studies.
   

• Raised the profile of the university within Atlanta and the region.
   

• Developed new academic programs, such as Urban Ecology, Oglethorpe University Students Abroad, a theatre major, and a Master of Arts in Teaching.
   

• Completed renovation to two major academic buildings, Goslin Hall and Robinson Hall, and continued the renovations to historic Lupton and Hearst Halls.
   

• In 2004 started construction on a 160 bed, $10 million campus residence hall.
   

• Instituted a total conversion of the university’s administrative computing programs.
   

• Appointed a new senior administrative team.
   

• Recruited new members to the Board of Trustees, strongly increasing alumni participation on the Board.
   

• In 2003 and 2004 Oglethorpe was named one of the nation’s “best value” undergraduate institutions by The Princeton Review. 
   

• The university is profiled by Colleges of Distinction as a national institution that excels in four areas:  engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful student outcomes.

Large currently serves on the Board of Trustees at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal School, is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Annapolis Group, an organization of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in America.  He served in 2003 as Chair of the President’s Council of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. 

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