Dean of the College Lee Pelton announced yesterday that he will step down shortly after Commencement to become president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Pelton, who will begin his presidency at Willamette in July, said he made the decision to accept the position "shortly after Christmas." In November, Pelton told The Dartmouth he did not "have any plans to leave the College."
Pelton said he had not pursued the presidency before the Willamette search committee contacted him in August.
"They contacted me. This was not a position I sought," Pelton said. He added that he did not know a lot about the college before he was contacted.
College President James Freedman -- who announced in September that he will resign after Commencement -- said it is uncertain how the new dean of the College will be chosen.
It is possible the search process will start before the new president is chosen so the incoming president can be given a short list of candidates for the position, according to Freedman. It is also possible that the new president will be allowed to start the search.
Freedman said it is possible, although unlikely, that a new permanent dean could assume the position in July if the search begins shortly.
Pelton visited the University in November for an interview and again in December for a two-day on-campus visit when Pelton -- like three other finalists -- met with students, faculty, administrators and other groups.
Pelton was chosen from a group of four final candidates which included Robert B. Merritt, a professor of biological sciences at Smith College, Robert Griffith, a professor of history at American University in Washington D.C., and Lawrence D. Cress, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Willamette University.
Betty O'Brian, director of news and publications at Willamette, said Pelton was "very highly regarded by all the campus constituencies."
"He was a pretty unanimous and very enthusiastic choice," O'Brian said.
Pelton was appointed as Dartmouth's Dean of Students in 1991, replacing former Dean of the College Edward Shanahan who left to become the president and principal of Choate-Rosemary Hall School. His position was renamed Dean of the College in January 1994. Before coming to Dartmouth, Pelton served as dean of students and then dean of the college at Colgate University.
Willamette's former president, Jerry E. Hudson, retired after 17 years in July 1997. Hudson took a post as vice president of the Portland-based Collins Foundation, which awards grants to support education, social welfare and the arts.
Willamette, which was founded in 1842, is the oldest university in the West. It has 2,500 students -- 1,700 in its College of Liberal Arts and the rest in its law, business management and education graduate schools.
