Dear Campus Community:

Following President Crawford’s retirement announcement this morning, on behalf of the Board of Trustees I want to share our profound gratitude for Isiaah’s extraordinary service to the university, and to acknowledge that, with mixed emotions, the board has accepted his decision to retire on July 1, 2027.

Over the next eighteen months we look forward to celebrating Isiaah and Kent and all they have contributed to the University of Puget Sound. In the meantime, I want to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable progress Puget Sound has made under Isiaah’s steady, unwavering, and visionary leadership.

The average tenure of a university president is under six years. We recognize that it is a rare gift for our university to have benefited from Isiaah’s stable, principled leadership during a decade of unprecedented global change. Since his arrival in 2016, Isiaah has worked tirelessly alongside our inspiring faculty, dedicated staff, ambitious students, and talented alumni to ensure that Puget Sound remains a leader in the liberal arts and a strong voice in the national higher education landscape.

With broad input from the campus community, Isiaah set out a bold vision through our strategic plan, Leadership for a Changing World. He challenged us to modernize our curriculum, elevate our commitment to experiential learning, and deepen our resolve to foster an inclusive community where every Logger thrives. Under his leadership, we have:

Realized strategic milestones: Successfully launched and implemented a versatile and comprehensive new core curriculum that emphasizes interdisciplinary learning. In partnership with the faculty, we instituted an experiential learning requirement for the baccalaureate degree; brought forward a number of new academic degrees, programs and departments; established the Center for Faculty Development; created the Makerspace; constructed the Susie L. Wilson ’87 Welcome Center; and created our “Advancing Excellence” plan that envisions the evolution of our physical campus through 2043.

  • Prepared a generation of leaders: Challenged and supported our students as they become broadly and deeply educated lifelong learners, who have the knowledge and skills to become the world’s next visionary leaders.
  • Nurtured belonging and inclusion: Established the inaugural role of the Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity, strengthened a sense of belonging for all members of our campus community, built frameworks for student support and success, and oversaw the enrollment of an increasingly diverse student body.
  • Strengthened our foundation: Navigated the immense challenges of a global pandemic with grace and resilience, while simultaneously pursuing the strategies laid out in A Sound Future: Response, Recovery, and Renewal to ensure our long-term institutional vitality.
  • Expanded our reach regionally and nationally: Deepened our ties to Tacoma and the South Sound, positioning the university as a vital anchor institution and a hub for civic engagement, and elevated our institutional profile through Isiaah’s leadership and service as a commissioner on the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and on the boards of directors of the American Council on Education, Independent Colleges of Washington, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Providence St. Joseph Health.
  • Secured our future: Initiated the Greater, We Ascend campaign, which has already seen strong philanthropic support for students, faculty, programs, and initiatives.

Isiaah’s lasting legacy at Puget Sound will be defined by his ability to successfully lead the university’s evolution through remarkable and relentless change to meet the current moment, while championing and advancing those qualities that make a Puget Sound education uniquely suited to prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

On behalf of the board, we are eternally grateful for Isiaah’s service to this institution, and for providing us with ample time to conduct a comprehensive national search to identify our 15th president. The Board of Trustees will soon appoint a search committee, which will include representatives from the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, student body, and alumni. We are committed to a process that is transparent and inclusive, and you will receive regular updates as this work begins.

These transitions are a natural and necessary part of the life of any great institution, offering a moment for both reflection and renewal. Because of Isiaah’s leadership and the successful realization of the objectives within our strategic plan, Puget Sound is exceptionally well-positioned to attract a leader who will build upon this momentum.

Thank you for all you do to advance the mission of this university that means so much to us all.

Sincerely,

Beth Picardo ’83, J.D.’86
Chair of the Board of Trustees