President Richard Rosser to Take Sabbatical in the Fall

May 2, 1985

May 2, 1985, Greencastle, Ind. - DePauw University's seventeenth president, Richard F. Rosser, will take a sabbatical leave from his duties during the fall semester.  Robert G. Bottoms, executive vice president of the university, will carry out the functions of the president during Rosser's absence.  Rosser, who has led DePauw since 1977, will resume his duties January 1, 1986.

Speaking of the sabbatical, Eugene L. Delves '50, chairman of DePauw's Board of Trustees, stated, "We've been doing it with faculty for years, and the board feels that after eight years of outstanding service to the university it would be appropriate for President Rosser to have this opportunity also."

Delves added, "The Board of Trustees is very pleased with Dick's performance.  Performance, after all, is what the board is interested in ... Our evaluation of the president is based on how well he accomplishes the goals that we have established over a period of years.  Certainly you can tick them off: the quality of the student body is where we want it to be at this time and is continuing to improve; we are achieving our enrollment goals; and certainly when it comes to financial matters we balance the budget every year.  We have never had a red figure and the campaign for the sesquicentennial is moving along extremely well."

During his time away from campus, Rosser plans to visit several DePauw study centers in Europe and will write a series of essays on the subject of higher education.  Before beginning the sabbatical, the president and his wife, Donna, will lead an alumni tour of Scandinavia this summer and will attend two conferences.

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