Vermont College of Fine Arts President Leslie Ward will resign next month after about four years in the position, the college announced Monday.
Ward told community members that being the Montpelier institution’s president “has truly been a personally enriching experience,” according to an email Monday afternoon to community members.
“Yet, this is an all encompassing job, requiring me to very often prioritize work over personal concerns, and so I have come to the difficult decision that it is time for me to step down as your president in order to spend more time with my family,” she wrote.
Andrew Ramsammy, a member of the board of trustees and a journalism consultant, will take over as interim president.
“Under Leslie’s leadership, the College expanded on that mission and creatively addressed challenges that are common to institutions of higher education today,” Ramsammy said in an announcement posted on VCFA’s website. “I am honored to lead VCFA through this exciting chapter.”
Ward’s departure comes as the low-residency college undergoes a dramatic transformation.
The college, which offers master’s degrees in six artistic disciplines, used to host residency programs twice a year, during which students stayed on-campus and attended workshops, lectures and exhibitions.
Last year it announced that its residency programs would move off-campus. Summer residencies now take place at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, while winter residencies are scheduled to begin in January at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
College administrators have said that the costs associated with maintaining an entire campus that remained vacant most of the year were unsustainable. VCFA has announced that it will sell buildings to the Greenway Institute, a new sustainable engineering education program, and the New School of Montpelier, a small K-12 private school.
Ward’s last day as president will be Dec. 22, after which she will rejoin VCFA’s board of trustees.
The board of trustees will begin the search for a permanent president in January, the college said in an announcement.
