UR President Ronald A. Crutcher Announces Intention to Step Down in 2022

Higher ed leader to remain on faculty following sabbatical in Germany.
September 23, 2020

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND ─ Ronald A. Crutcher has announced his intention to step down as president of the University of Richmond with the goal of the next president taking office no later than July 1, 2022.

“As I considered the great disruption and challenges facing higher education due to the pandemic, and contemplated what would best ensure the success of a future presidential search and our institutional momentum, I decided that it was important for the University to have as much time as possible to effectively identify and recruit the next president,” Crutcher said in a letter to alumni, faculty, staff, and students.

“The Board is extraordinarily grateful for the thoughtful manner in which President Crutcher has approached his decision, announcing his plans now to ensure time for a successful presidential search in this challenging national and global climate,” said Paul B. Queally, the board’s rector. “As he indicated to the Board, the University’s momentum of recent years is too important to risk interrupting, and we fully agree.”

Crutcher will continue to advance a variety of critical University initiatives, including guiding UR through the pandemic and the uncertainty and disruption it has brought.

“This year will certainly bring challenges, but it will also offer all of us new possibilities,” Crutcher wrote in his letter. “In every instance, we must seize such moments as opportunities to advance our shared aspirations and dreams for the University — and to realize our goal of being, and being recognized as, one of the strongest liberal arts institutions in the nation. That work continues to encourage and inspire me every day, and I look forward to what we will accomplish together over these next two academic years.”

Under Crutcher’s leadership the University has achieved the following:

  • Enhanced resources available to faculty, including programs focused on academic leadership and the creation of the Teaching and Scholarship Hub.
  • The creation of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships and the growing record of students’ success in securing prestigious national awards.
  • An increased national reputation for academic excellence as evidenced by the University’s highest ever U.S. News & World Report ranking of 22 among the nation’s top liberal arts colleges for 2021.
  • Important attention to developing and implementing strategies to ensure greater diversity and a more inclusive community, as detailed in the University’s Making Excellence Inclusive initiative.
  • A more diverse faculty, with 36% of hires in the last five years being persons of color or international and 42% being women.
  • Increased pride among UR alumni, who are more actively engaging with the University and contributing to historic levels of fundraising success.
  • Outstanding new facilities for well-being and Athletics.
  • Renovations of academic facilities in the arts and in the humanities, including an expansion to Ryland Hall to develop a center for the humanities.

“We look forward to the further achievements that are sure to come under President Crutcher’s continued leadership,” said Susan G. Quisenberry, vice rector. “As he has indicated, he remains intently focused on what he intends to accomplish in the years to come, and the Board very much looks forward to our continued work together in this time.”

The Board will begin the search for the University’s next president this fall and will soon establish and charge a search committee to identify and recommend candidates. The search committee will include trustees, as well as members of the Spider community. Details about the search process, committee, and timeline will be communicated in the coming weeks. Input from the University community about the priorities the new president will be asked to advance and the qualities and skills most important to seek in candidates will also be crucial to the success of the search and the University’s next president.

Following a sabbatical, Crutcher will return to the faculty as a university professor.  

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