Earlham College's new president will be first woman to lead the school
Jason Truitt
RICHMOND, Ind. — Earlham College's search for a new president officially came to an end Wednesday with the announcement that for the first time, the school's leader will be a woman.
Anne M. Houtman, who currently serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, will become Earlham's 20th president when she takes office on July 1, 2019.
The college has been without a president since Alan Price resigned in June after about a year on the job. His departure came in the wake of extensive discussions with the board of trustees about Earlham's future.
Since then, Avis Stewart has served as the school's interim leader.
Houtman, a Quaker, holds a doctorate in zoology from the University of Oxford, a master’s in anthropology from UCLA and a bachelor's degree from Pomona College.
Before joining Rose-Hulman in 2015, Houtman was the dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering at California State University Bakersfield and was head and professor of the Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
She also has held faculty positions at California State University Fullerton, Soka University of America and Knox College.
Houtman was chosen by the Earlham trustees after a national search conducted by board members, faculty from the college and the Earlham School of Religion, administrative staff, students and alumni.
The board of trustees met Saturday to hear recommendations from the search committee, and Houtman was the consensus choice.
“Anne stood out because so much of her experience and beliefs match well with the values and mission of our college and will encourage contributions to Earlham’s future success from all its constituencies,” said David Stump, chair of the board of trustees.
“As a leader in higher education, she is well qualified to guide the college in these especially challenging times for liberal arts colleges. Her emphasis on collaboration and transparency in planning and decision making will be important to the effectiveness of Earlham’s shared governance.”
Houtman's hiring comes at a critical time for the school. Earlham has operated at a budget deficit for the past several years, but the cumulative net loss jumped from about $5.5 million in the 2013 fiscal year to more than $47 million earlier this year.
In December, the college's trustees approved a 12 percent reduction to the current $50 million budget. The cuts will take affect for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Earlham's enrollment over the past five years has been basically stagnant, but tuition revenues have steadily dropped over that period of time.
Like most colleges and universities around the country, the cost of higher education at Earlham has continued to rise. Tuition now is about $45,500 per year, not including room, board, a meal plan or other factors.
About 90 percent of the school's students receive some form of financial aid. To make that happen, Earlham has made extensive use of restricted parts of its $437 million endowment (those parts earmarked for assisting students financially) as well as scholarship programs.
Overall, the school's average expected revenue per student, based on their tuition contributions, is now about $12,000 per year, down from about $14,200 five years ago.
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Robert Graham, an Earlham trustee and alumnus who led the search committee, noted Houtman's experience with winning grants.
The committee was “impressed with her success in obtaining gifts and grants to support a number of programs she helped to initiate and manage in her current and previous positions,” he said.
There were several reasons for Houtman's interest in taking over as Earlham president, including the quality of the faculty and the college's commitment to diversity, as well as its strength in experiential programs and joint student-faculty research.
"As a liberally educated scientist and as a Quaker, I consider this position a once-in-a-lifetime match for my skills, experience and values," she said. "I have for many years been impressed with Earlham's clear commitment to educate contributory citizens and lifelong learners in a collegial and inclusive environment.
"I look forward to working with faculty, staff, students and alumni to help the college and ESR meet their challenges and fulfill that inspiring mission."
Jason Truitt is the team leader and senior reporter at the Palladium-Item. Contact him at 765-973-4459 or jtruitt@pal-item.com.