Carthage College President Gregory Woodward will be leaving the school to head up the University of Hartford in Connecticut. Woodward sent an e-mail to Carthage staff earlier today with the news. Woodward came to Carthage from Ithaca College (New York) in 2012. He takes the reins at the University of Hartford on July 1, 2017.
“It has been my honor and privilege to serve as the president of Carthage, and I am tremendously proud of what we have accomplished together over the past five years,” Woodward said. “It will be extremely hard to leave this great college and so many good friends and colleagues.”
He said the difficult decision was based on a combination of personal circumstances and a unique professional opportunity. The new position will allow him and his wife, Penny, to move closer to their extended families on the East Coast.
In a statement on the University of Hartford website, the Chair of the school's Board of Regents, Lucille Nickerson, wrote this: "Greg’s experience and accomplishments align well with our vision for this University. At Carthage, he is known and respected for thinking strategically. Under his leadership, the college recently completed a 10-year strategic plan, 'Carthage in the Year 2025,' and the first President’s Task Force on Diversity was created. He has focused intently on the student experience, including the creation of a Center for Student Success, the addition of scholarship opportunities particularly for underrepresented groups and students who encounter unexpected financial need, and the creation of new positions for experienced professionals to coordinate student internship opportunities. He has also increased the number of women in Carthage’s administration and on the board of trustees, raised first to second year retention rates, as well as graduation rates, to all-time high Carthage levels, and implemented enrollment efforts that have increased the percentage of first-year students of color by 75 percent since 2014. Also during his tenure at Carthage, a new Bachelor of Science in Nursing major was introduced and major revisions were made to the Honors Program. These are but a few examples of his experiential alignment with our strategic goals, values, and mission.
In interviews with Greg our search committee members were impressed by his energy and enthusiasm for leading the University of Hartford. He told us that building on all that is best at the University across each of our disciplines and in each of our schools and colleges is one of the most exciting and compelling aspects of this opportunity. 'I am very impressed by the wide range of programs offered at the University and believe that this is a unique strength of the institution,” he said “Coupling deep professional preparation inside a strong intellectual core is a powerful model that has proven successful.'"
Woodward serves on the board of directors for United Way of Kenosha County and was Kenosha’s 2012 honorary United Way campaign chair. He is a member of the Kenosha Unified School District Community Partners’ Alliance and the Kenosha County Strategic Visioning Process task force. Additionally, he serves on the boards at the Kenosha Area Business Alliance, the Three Harbors Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha, and The Prairie School in Wind Point, Wisconsin. This past year, he served as chair of the Council of Independent College’s Partnership in Education with The New York Times.