The appointment, announced recently by the college�s Board of Trustees, was marked on campus with the ringing six times of a bell near Vining Residence Hall.

Pfeiffer, 58, will succeed Douglas M. Orr Jr., who is retiring after 15 years as president. Orr currently enjoys the second longest tenure among the 36 presidents of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

�Sandy Pfeiffer has the abilities, background and vision to lead Warren Wilson to new levels by building on the accomplishments of his distinguished predecessors over the college�s relatively short history as a baccalaureate institution,� said Board Chair Joel B. Adams of Asheville. �We are excited that Sandy and his wife, Evelyn, will be joining Warren Wilson College and the Asheville community for what we think will be a long and productive period of leadership.

�Although the Pfeiffers are filling large shoes in succeeding Doug and Darcy Orr, we are confident that they are the people to do it.�

Pfeiffer was selected from an initial pool of 130 candidates, including three finalists who were invited to campus late in February. The presidential search, chaired by college trustee Ronald F. Hunt of Asheville, was launched in September 2005.

�I am so excited about this career opportunity,� Pfeiffer said Friday. �It�s the type of position that I�ve prepared for.

�My experiences during my three-day visit to Warren Wilson in February were just outstanding. I felt as if everyone I met knew exactly why they were there. That kind of sense is infectious, and helped drive my decision.�

Pfeiffer has been at Ramapo College in Mahwah, N.J., since 2003. He was interim president of the college � New Jersey�s public liberal arts college � from July 2004 to June 2005. A tenured professor of international studies, Pfeiffer is the author of various books and articles on technical / professional communication and on Japanese studies.

�My five or six years as a provost is the right preparation for the Warren Wilson presidency,� he said. �And the work as interim president is so helpful to me especially in respect to fund-raising. It should give me good preparation in telling the story of Warren Wilson College.�

Previously Pfeiffer was vice president for academic affairs at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga. He has taught English at the University of Houston � Downtown, Southwest Texas State University and Kent State University. He holds degrees in English from Amherst College and Kent State University.

Pfeiffer assumes the presidency of a liberal arts college that is singular in American higher education. One of only six work colleges nationwide, Warren Wilson is further distinguished by a pioneering service-learning program that calls upon students to do 100 hours of service as a graduation requirement. The college �triad� of academics, work and service is enhanced by strong international and environmental emphases.

Under Doug Orr, Warren Wilson College has experienced significant growth in the number of students, faculty and academic programs, and has built 20 new facilities on campus. The college also has formed close program relationships with North Carolina Outward Bound and the Mountain Area Child and Family Center, and forged several major partnerships including those with The Jane Goodall Institute and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

(Story and images provided by Warren Wilson College.)

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