Allegheny College president steps down, college names an interim replacement
MEADVILLE — Hilary Link is no longer president of Allegheny College.
Link announced Tuesday that she was leaving the job for personal and professional reasons, according to a Tuesday message to the college community by Steven Levinsky, chairman of Allegheny's Board of Trustees.
Former provost and dean Ron Cole was named interim president, effective immediately.
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Link had served as the college's 22nd president, and first woman president, since July 1, 2019.
"It has been an honor to serve as Allegheny College's first female president and to work with everyone across campus and beyond to highlight and elevate the College's strengths as a supportive and creative community focused on nurturing and educating future generations of interdisciplinary thinkers," Link said in a statement included in Levinsky's announcement.
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Link, Levinsky said, successfully led the college through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented strategies to strengthen the college as a top small liberal arts school. Allegheny College was ranked among the nation's 100 top liberal arts schools by U.S. News & World Report this year.
Link's achievements, Levinsky said, also included establishing the on-campus Allegheny College Health Agency and developing strategies and initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion on campus and in the Meadville community.
Enrollment numbers on decline
Allegheny College, like other colleges in the region and nationwide, has struggled with declining enrollment in recent years. The school has about 1,440 students, according to enrollment data, down from almost 2,200 in fall 2013.
College cost-cutting initiatives included offering early retirement incentives to faculty and staff in 2017 and mandatory two-week furloughs for employees during the pandemic, in November 2020. The college in July 2021 announced that it would eliminate 36 administrative and staff positions, including 12 vacant positions, as part of a larger initiative to cut costs.
In 2021: Allegheny College plans to cut 36 jobs as part of a cost-saving initiative
Several academic programs also were cut.
Before becoming Allegheny president, Link was dean of Temple University's Rome, Italy, campus and held various administrative posts at Barnard College, Columbia University, in New York.
Cole joined the Allegheny faculty in 1994 and taught geology for two decades before being named the college's provost and dean in 2015.
It's not clear when the college will begin a search for a permanent replacement for Link.
"Dr. Cole will immediately serve as President of Allegheny College, on an acting basis, with the full authority of the Presidency. The board will consider, in due course, a search process for President," Levinsky said in his statement.
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Allegheny College president leaves, provost is named acting president
