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The Lycoming College board of trustees has announced the appointment of Charles Edmonds to the presidency of the college, according to a news release.
Currently the executive vice president at Lycoming College, Edmonds will commence his role as president beginning July 1.
The selection of Edmonds follows an extensive national search, with participation from members of Lycoming's board of trustees, the student population, faculty and staff, that considered 107 applicants for the position, the news release said Edmonds' appointment follows the September announcement that current president, Kent Trachte, will retire in June, at the close of the 2024-25 academic year.
"It will be an extraordinary privilege to build on Lycoming's distinguished history and harness the community's collective capacity to provide one of society's most important public goods - an education that prepares students for exceptional careers and service to humanity," Edmonds said, according to the news release.
"With our presidential search now at its conclusion, I can say that we are more than satisfied with a very comprehensive process that turned out a diverse pool of more than 100 of the finest applicants to fill the highest office of this institution," said Don Hughes, Lycoming College trustee and search committee chair, according to the news release. "A unanimous recommendation from the search committee is a testament that we have indeed chosen the best candidate. I want to thank the committee members for their diligence and for their prescience in identifying Lycoming's next president."
"I owe my sincere thanks to the presidential search committee for their tireless efforts, commitment to the process, and ability to ultimately coalesce around a single candidate," said D. Mark Fultz, chair of the Lycoming College board of trustees, according to the news release. "The work of this committee, made up of trustees, faculty, staff, and student representatives was deliberate, thorough, collaborative, and with serious purpose. Chip possesses a unique combination of institutional experience, an unwavering commitment to our liberal arts tradition, and a vision for continued success well into the future. He's a charismatic leader that is going to hit the ground running to help Lycoming meet its challenges and to seek bold new opportunities, and I look forward to working with him in his new capacity."
Edmonds was chosen for the Lycoming presidency for his deep understanding of the higher education marketplace and his unwavering commitment to undergraduate residential education, academic excellence, community engagement and financial stewardship, according to the news release.
"He has championed access for the college's increasingly diverse student population and removed barriers for high-achieving students to receive an undergraduate education," the news release said. "Edmonds brings more than 25 years of higher education leadership that is punctuated by experience in strategic and institutional planning, program innovation, fundraising and financial management, enrollment, marketing, and alumni engagement. He is known for his authentic, engaging, and inclusive leadership approach, and has proven himself as a leader who will work across campus to build consensus around a shared institutional vision."
"I am profoundly grateful to board chair, Mark Fultz, vice chair and chair of the presidential search committee, Don Hughes, members of the presidential search committee, and the entire board of trustees for the opportunity to serve as Lycoming College's 16th president," said Edmonds. "Lycoming's steadfast commitment to providing a premier undergraduate education was on full display throughout the search process. It was both energizing and humbling to engage with faculty, staff, and students who care so deeply about the future of the College. It will be an extraordinary privilege to build on Lycoming's distinguished history and harness the community's collective capacity to provide one of society's most important public goods - an education that prepares students for exceptional careers and service to humanity."
Named Lycoming College executive vice president in 2017, Edmonds serves as chief external affairs officer overseeing advancement, enrollment management, marketing and communications, government and community relations, and institutional projects.Edmonds, the news release said, has been integral to the Gateway Economic Development Project, securing philanthropic, private, and public support for the College's Krapf Gateway Building, which has stimulated revitalization in the surrounding Williamsport Old City neighborhood.