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Sugar House Journal

Westminster president set to retire at end of school year

Oct 05, 2017 16h55 ● By Natalie Mollinet

Westminster’s President Stephen R. Morgan will retire after 37 years working closely with the school. (Steven R. Morgan/Westminster College)

On Sept. 8, the President of Westminster, Stephen R. Morgan, announced he will retire at the end of the academic school year, which is June 2018. After 37 years at Westminster, Morgan, who served in various positions during his career, will put away the books and enjoy retirement. Even though he’s moving onto a new phase in life, he will be missed by his colleagues and he will miss the school that has helped him grow. 

“It has been a special honor to have served the better half of my life at Westminster,” Morgan said. “I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as president of this great institution.” 

In 2015, at the age of 63, Morgan became Westminster’s 18th president, and during his presidency hired the school’s first chief of diversity officer, advanced into the final provisional year of NCAA division II and created a new honors college. 

“During his tenure, he has found ways to bring out the best of everything that Westminster has to offer,” Jeanne Ambruster, chair of Westminster’s Board of Trustees said. “We are very appreciative of his longtime commitment to the college and wish him the best in his retirement years.” 

The leadership that Morgan showed at Westminster was a game changer. He has been part of the campus since 1981, and through those years he was an adviser to six presidents before becoming one himself. During those years, he helped grow the college’s endowment to more than $75 million and directed fundraising for major construction projects, including the Giovale Library, the Bill and Vieve Gore School of Business, the Manford A. Shaw Student Center, Emma Eccles Jones Conservatory, the Dolores Dore Eccles Health, Wellness and Athletic Center and the Meldrum Science Center. 

“Working together as a community, we have made Westminster a better place of higher learning and a place where all students can find their passion and lead meaningful lives,” Morgan said. “Westminster and its community will always hold a special place in my heart.”