From President Darrel Colson:

Gary Grace, vice president for administration, has announced his retirement from the college effective Feb. 15. Gary and his wife, Janet, will continue to live in Waverly and plan to open a Jimmy John’s restaurant near campus.

We owe Gary a huge debt of gratitude. During the past 17 years, he has served the college ably, beginning as director of athletics. During that tenure, the number of students participating in intercollegiate athletics increased substantially, and Wartburg attracted many of its current coaches. Wartburg’s intercollegiate athletic programs were recognized not only for competitive success, but also the quality of student-athletes.

As vice president, he masterfully presided over the development of The W from mere idea to a completed building that is a very tangible expression of the thriving partnership  between Wartburg and Waverly that began in the 1930s. He also led partnerships with the Waverly Health Center to form the Noah Campus Health Clinic and with Waverly Light and Power to increase the use of wind-generated energy to power the campus. Gary guided our campus master planning and worked closely with Schneider Electric to retrofit many campus buildings to save energy.

Perhaps most important, early in his time at Wartburg, Gary taught students in some of the first sections of IS 201, focusing on sport sociology.

In time we will announce a suitable event to bid farewell to Gary, but for now I’m sure he would welcome informal farewells.

Future plans — Gary Grace’s retirement presents us with a challenge, but, as we are taught to say, every challenge is also an opportunity. When the position of vice president for administration was initially created, it was part of a reorganization of college operations to shape Wartburg for the tasks it faced at the time.

At this moment, we face different needs, so we will again examine the operations of the college, asking whether in this new time we should reorganize again. With an eye to reducing expenses and achieving efficiencies, I have asked the Cabinet and others to offer suggestions to me, and I have invited a former associate, Mr. Larry Goldstein, to visit campus in early February to examine our operations from an outsider’s perspective. As part of that process, he will interview a broad range of people to benefit from their experiences and insights.

Decisions about whether and how to reorganize — including the status of the position of vice president for administration — will be announced later in the Winter Term. Any changes will be expected to take effect at the beginning of the new fiscal year on June 1, 2013.