Trani Stepping Down Next Year

VCU’s President Eugine Trani has announced he will be resigning effective July 1, 2009:

He had previously planned to step down in 2010, but will now leave the post July 1, 2009, and become a professor at the university.

VCU officials have not confirmed his plans, but he has scheduled an 11 a.m. news conference today to make a major announcement

His earlier-than-planned resignation as president comes as his administration is under fire for its handling of the Rodney Monroe degree scandal. Monroe, Richmond’s former police chief, was awarded an undergraduate degree from VCU last year after earning just six credit hours at the university, despite VCU’s required 30 credit hours.

Trani, 68, has been recuperating from a quintuple coronary artery bypass surgery he had last month.

VCU Rector Thomas G. Rosenthal said today that Trani had made the decision to retire early over the weekend. He said the announcement has nothing to do with recent controversies that have roiled VCU — “Zip, zero, zilch.”

“This was his decision,” Rosenthal said. “It is 100 percent health related.”

Trani has done a number of great things for VCU during his tenure. It’ll be interesting how much of his vision out lasts him.

Read Trani’s letter after the break.

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to welcome faculty back, and to say to all faculty and staff who have been here over the summer, that I hope you have had a productive and good summer.  Obviously, for me, the summer brought a very unexpected situation, and as well, for VCU, this summer has been a challenging one.  I want to convey to the University and Health System communities how appreciative I am of all of the wonderful expressions of concern that have been sent to me over the past five weeks.  I have been very touched by these.  I have had the good fortune of being a healthy person for 68 years, and thus this situation caught me by surprise, and has caused me to reflect on matters somewhat differently than I have ever done before.  I also want to convey how very fortunate I feel to be under the absolutely outstanding care of the VCU Medical Center.

This morning I held a press conference to announce that I will be stepping down from my positions as President of Virginia Commonwealth University and President and Chair of the VCU Health System, effective July 1, 2009.  As most of you know, I had planned to step down as President on July 1, 2007, but I was persuaded by the Board of Visitors to remain as President until July 1, 2010.  My surgery, recovery, and time to reflect on my health and the next few years of my career as a professor at VCU have made it clear to me that I should listen to my physician’s advice, and that stepping down one year earlier than planned is the best thing for me to do.  Far too many of you have your own life situations which cause you to realize that spending time with one’s family while one is healthy is extremely important.  Time for reflection over the past few weeks has also caused me to realize that the presidential priorities I had set for myself as President have in good measure been accomplished, and that stepping down in 2009 is good timing for VCU, as our great institution considers the next phase of our dynamic history.  I informed the Board of Visitors of my decision before this morning’s press conference, and I know the Board will be moving ahead very effectively with the presidential transition and search process.

There will be time over the next year to express to the University and Health System communities the enormous gratitude that I feel for what will be nineteen years of having one of the best jobs in the United States.  For now, I will simply say a heartfelt thanks to the people of this great University who have helped make my presidency the success that it has been, and who have made my serving as President the most gratifying experience possible.

As all of you know, this summer has been a challenging one for the University.  Obviously all universities go through challenging times, but clearly, this summer has been a difficult one. While I was at Harvard University earlier in the summer, working on my book on universities and economic development, I was talking several times a day to the Board and to my administrative team about the issues VCU was and is facing.  I have continued to do so through my recuperation, and I will be communicating with the University and Health System communities as the appropriate offices in the University and the Board continue to do their work on the issues before us.

While no one minimizes these challenges, all of us recognize that this is also a great time of the year.  Everyone involved in university life is reinvigorated at the beginning of each academic year, and this one should be no exception.  Everywhere around us there is evidence of the progress we have all made together, and I firmly believe that together we have laid the foundation for a great future.  I hope that we will begin the 2008-09 academic year doing what we do best:  serving the students of Virginia Commonwealth University.

Best regards.

Eugene P. Trani
President, Virginia Commonwealth University
and
President and Chair, VCU Health System