President Ron Cole, ’87, will continue to lead Allegheny College, after the Board of Trustees extended his appointment to a full five-year-term with a unanimous vote Thursday morning.
“I’m honored, I’m humbled, and I’m enthusiastic,” Cole said in a phone call with The Campus Thursday afternoon. “I love Allegheny, I’m passionate about our mission. I believe in the future and what we can do in terms of continuing to provide access to education for students and continue to promote strong outcomes.”
An Allegheny graduate, Cole returned to the college in 1994 to teach geology. After more than 20 years as professor, he was selected as provost and dean of the college in 2015. Cole’s seven-year term as chief academic officer included handling classes through the pandemic and the creation of a new staffing plan for the college’s faculty. That staffing plan came under fire from members of the campus community for eliminating a number of programs — including the Chinese language minor. The plan also resulted in the creation of four new interdisciplinary majors.
In September 2022, just under three months after passing the provost’s torch to Angela Haddad, Cole returned as interim president when former President Hilary Link departed for “personal and professional reasons.”
At the time, then-Opinion Editor of The Campus Sydney Emerson, ’23, cited Cole’s appointment as a chance to reset the college’s social climate after three years of a contentious relationship between Link and the wider campus community.
In the 10 months since, Cole seems to have won the college over, according to a statement released by the college, which said that the Board made its move after hearing “overwhelmingly strong support for Dr. Cole’s presidency,” from leaders in the Allegheny community.
“Dr. Cole has brought the campus together through his leadership, he is passionate about Allegheny College and our students, and brings an innovative approach to the Presidential position,” Chair of the Board of Trustees, Steve Levinsky, ’78, said in the statement. “We support his efforts to continue elevating Allegheny’s position as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.”
Among those efforts was the April launch of a strategic planning process designed to reexamine the college’s direction amidst economic and demographic changes. The outcomes of that process are expected to be shared with the college community next month for public comment.
In speaking to The Campus, Cole said Allegheny’s faculty, staff, and students were, “second-to-none.”
“I want to take the opportunity to thank the Allegheny community for their support, and for all the work that I know is going on by faculty and staff, and the work I know students are doing to achieve their goals in education,” he said. “It’s just inspiring.”
An exact date for Cole’s inauguration as the college’s permanent president has not yet been set, but he said that he wants the eventual ceremony to be about more than just his own position.
“It’s about the college, and that’s what I want to be focused on,” Cole said.
