TACOMA, Wash. — University of Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford announced today his intention to retire as the university’s 14th president, effective July 1, 2027. The announcement, shared with the campus community, initiates a deliberate 18-month transition period designed to sustain the university’s upward momentum.
Since taking office nearly 10 years ago, President Crawford has overseen a period of significant transformation and institutional resilience. Under his leadership, the university launched the Leadership for a Changing World strategic plan, successfully navigated the challenges of a global pandemic, and secured the largest individual gift in the institution’s history.
"Serving this university has been the honor of my professional life," Crawford said. "The timing feels right as I look at all we have accomplished together — from modernizing our curriculum and expanding graduate education to advancing ambitious plans for the years ahead. I am sharing this news now to provide our Board of Trustees the time needed for a thoughtful, inclusive national search."
A Legacy of Strategic Growth
Crawford’s tenure has been marked by a commitment to academic rigor and responsive innovation. Key milestones of his presidency include:
- Realizing strategic milestones: Under Crawford’s leadership, Puget Sound successfully launched and implemented a versatile and comprehensive new core curriculum that emphasizes interdisciplinary learning. In partnership with faculty, Crawford 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 the university’s “Advancing Excellence” plan that envisions the evolution of our physical campus through 2043.
- Preparing a generation of leaders: Crawford challenged and supported students as they became broadly and deeply educated lifelong learners, who have the knowledge and skills to become the world’s next visionary leaders.
- Nurturing belonging and inclusion: Crawford 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.
- Strengthening the university’s foundation: Crawford 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.
- Expanding our reach regionally and nationally: Crawford’s work deepened the university’s ties to Tacoma and the South Sound, positioning the university as a vital anchor institution and a hub for civic engagement. He elevated Puget Sound’s institutional profile through his 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.
- Securing our future: He initiated the Greater, We Ascend campaign, which has already seen strong philanthropic support for students, faculty, programs, and initiatives.
Board of Trustees Chair Beth Picardo ’83, J.D. ’86, will lead the search for Crawford’s successor. The board expressed deep gratitude for Crawford’s steady hand and his role in ensuring the university is "boldly responsive to the world our students will inherit."
“Isiaah’s leadership has been a remarkable gift to the University of Puget Sound,” Picardo said. “In an era where the average presidential tenure is less than six years, we have been profoundly fortunate to benefit from his stable, principled, and visionary guidance for the last decade. He has worked tirelessly alongside our faculty, staff, and students to ensure that Puget Sound remains a leader in the liberal arts, navigating unprecedented global challenges with grace and resilience. While we accept his decision to retire with mixed emotions, we do so with eternal gratitude for the way he has modernized our curriculum, nurtured a deep sense of belonging for all Loggers, and secured a vibrant future for this extraordinary institution."
President Crawford emphasized that the next 18 months will remain focused on the university's core priorities.
"This announcement marks no slowing of our work," he said. "I remain fully and enthusiastically committed to promoting student success, advancing our strategic enrollment plan, and ensuring a successful launch of our comprehensive campaign."
The University of Puget Sound will provide updates regarding the presidential search process as they become available.
