On September 9, 2024, Union College’s nineteenth president, David R. Harris announced that he would be stepping down after this academic year. On Union’s website, he stated that he “has no firm plans for his future beyond Union,” but said he “does not intend to pursue another college or university presidency.” President Harris sent a video message to all students and staff regarding his decision to step down. He did not detail why he is leaving but expressed excitement for Union’s future and immense gratitude for his time here and the people who make up the Union community.

The news shocked the Union community and left many people with questions since President Harris did not specify the reasoning behind his decision. It is without a doubt that people have many different opinions on his departure, so some students offered to share their thoughts on the matter.

Grace Goddard ‘25 claimed that “President Harris was always a friendly face on campus, and would be there a lot.” She also noted that during Harris’s presidency, Union’s acceptance rate went up significantly. “When my brother was enrolled in Union, he had gotten in with a 20% acceptance rate, and now it’s almost above 50%.”

“My initial reaction to President Harris leaving was shocking, as I expected him to stay longer,” Edgar Pastran ‘26 said. He also recited a memory with President Harris. “President Harris came up to me during my engineering showcase for Engineering Science. He looked very excited to see what my group created and that has stuck out to me up to this day.”

“I think our future president should also be involved around the Union community but with actual actions taking place,” said an anonymous interviewee.

Overall, the students who were interviewed have mixed opinions and questions about Harris’s departure. They all agree, however, that President Harris has done many good things for Union and that there are improvements that can be made. The Union community is looking forward to seeing what President Harris will do throughout the rest of the academic year.

The college has established a presidential search committee, consisting of 21 members of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, and students to select the college’s 20th president. The committee is lead by Rich Delaney ‘80, and is contracting with the consulting firm Isaacson, Miller to assist with the process. Ajay Goncalves ‘26, Junior class representative on the Board of Trustees, is the sole student member on the 21 person committee. The search committee will begin this process with a series of community listening sessions from October 2nd to 4th, 2024. Then, committee members will meet with senior administrators, faculty leaders, and students to advise the search process. 

Campus community members can expect to hear more information about the selection of the new president in the coming months. The 20th president of Union College will likely join the campus community in July 2025, and be inaugurated in early Fall 2025.