Around 4 p.m. on Halloween, President Steadman Upham sent his last email to the student body. Its contents are sure to raise plenty of questions, including whether or not we award Upham for out-Grover-Cleveland-ing Grover Cleveland. In case you don’t check your email, this is what it said:
Dear Colleagues,
As you know, President-Designate Gerard Clancy and I have been working closely on the leadership transition at the university since August. One result of our intensive collaboration has been an acceleration of the briefing and preparation process that normally accompanies a presidential transition. As a result, I am pleased to share that Gerry will begin his tenure as the 20th president of The University of Tulsa tomorrow, November 1, 2016. This announcement comes about eight weeks earlier than we initially planned, but Gerry and I agree, and the Board concurs, there is no reason to delay the transition further.
Gerry will be an exemplary President for TU. He has served TU and the Tulsa community with enormous energy and a boundless supply of innovative ideas. As the search for the new Dean of the Oxley College of Health Sciences continues, Dr. Robin Ploeger will assume the title of interim dean for that college.
I have had no greater honor than to serve as President of The University of Tulsa for these many years. Peggy and I have made this university and this community our home, and we will continue to do so. We plan to spend the next year on sabbatical before I return to teaching at TU.
Peggy and I thank each of you for your immeasurable contributions to TU, which continue to make our university an asset to the Tulsa community and a top destination for talented and ambitious students the world over.
Best,
Stead
