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December 19, 2007

Westminster College names new president

Westminster College has selected Dr. Richard H. Dorman as its 14th president.

Dorman is vice president for institutional advancement at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio.

The announcement came following a special meeting of Westminster’s board of trustees.

Dorman, a 54-year-old New York native who has spent many years in Pennsylvania, is expected to assume leadership of Westminster College on July 1, when President R. Thomas Williamson steps down. Williamson has led Westminster since 1997 and announced his retirement plans last February.

“During the search process, I was impressed with the passion, commitment, and desire to improve exhibited by the students, faculty, trustees, alumni, and staff,” Dorman said.

“Westminster is an outstanding institution and I am honored to have been chosen to serve all who are so clearly committed to the college and its students.”

Debora S. Foster, a 1974 Westminster graduate and chairwoman of the college’s board of trustees, said Dorman is a good fit for the school.

“Westminster’s mission is to help men and women develop competencies, commitments and characteristics which have distinguished human beings at their best,” Foster said.

“Dr. Dorman has the skills, experience, and dedication needed to lead Westminster College while embracing the special mission that has served Westminster since 1852. We are delighted that he will join the Westminster community.”

Trustee Leonard M. Carroll, chairman of the presidential search committee, added, “This search has been intense, requiring the dedicated efforts of many individuals of the campus community. I am absolutely convinced that, of the many candidates whose credentials we reviewed and those whom we eventually interviewed, Dr. Rick Dorman is absolutely the best for Westminster. He was our unanimous choice.

“Without a doubt, Dr. Dorman will prove to be an effective and engaging leader of our college.”

Dorman called Williamson “an extraordinary leader” who has built “a strong foundation upon which the institution can continue to build.”

Dorman has served as vice president for institutional advancement at Otterbein College since 1996. He was responsible for all external affairs and oversaw the most successful fund raising years in the college’s history. Otterbein completed a $35 million comprehensive capital campaign and completed various renovation and capital projects during his tenure.

He served as assistant vice president for development (1994-96) and director of health sciences development at the University of Louisville (1990-94) following four years as an executive with the Penn State Alumni Association. The Penn State Alumni Association earned the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education’s Grand Gold Medal as the best alumni relations program in the nation for an unprecedented three consecutive years during Dorman’s tenure with the association.

Dorman served as director of marketing for Prestige Expositions in Ridgewood, N.J., from 1983-87, and began his career as director of choral activities at Red Lion (Pa.) High School from 1975-79.

Dorman earned a bachelor of music degree in music education from Susquehanna University in 1975. He earned his master’s in counseling/college student personnel services and his doctorate in higher education administration from The Pennsylvania State University.

A member and elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Dorman also is active in the community, having served in leadership positions with various civic, service, and educational organizations. He has made presentations at national conferences on institutional advancement, student recruitment and alumni-admissions partnerships, fund raising, and board relationships.

He and his wife of 29 years, Beverly, a registered nurse, have a son, Daniel, 23, and daughter, Kelly, 21.

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