Ronald R. Thomas Named University of Puget Sound President

Hartford, Conn., February 7, 2003—Ronald R. Thomas, former acting president of Trinity College, today was named president of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. He will succeed University of Puget Sound President Susan Resneck Pierce, who is retiring after 11 years in office. Thomas is expected to assume the presidency effective July 1, 2003.

“I am honored to have been selected as the 13^th president of a university with such an impressive record of accomplishment and such a bright future ahead,” Thomas said. “The experience I have had here at Trinity in strategic campus planning and development, along with my record in community engagement and alumni involvement, will be especially valuable at the University of Puget Sound.”

Founded in 1888, the University of Puget Sound is a national liberal arts college located in Tacoma, Washington, 30 miles south of Seattle. The university is an independent, predominantly residential and undergraduate college with three graduate programs building effectively on a liberal arts foundation. It selectively enrolls approximately 2,600 students from 48 states and 21 foreign countries and is committed to teaching excellence and scholarly engagement. 

“Ron Thomas is an outstanding choice to lead Puget Sound at this time in the school’s history,” said William T. Weyerhaeuser, chair of Puget Sound’s Board of Trustees. “The trustees enthusiastically approved his nomination. He clearly understands Puget Sound’s commitment to its liberal arts mission, and he demonstrates the skills needed to furthering the university’s strength and reputation within American higher education.” Search Committee Chair Deanna W. Oppenheimer ’80, adds, "After a five-month, national search, the committee reached the unanimous conclusion that Ron Thomas was the best person to be Puget Sound's next president. Ron demonstrated a clear understanding of Puget Sound's liberal arts mission, inspired leadership abilities, and a rare openness and honesty."

Thomas will be joined in Tacoma by his wife, Mary, who serves as dean of students at Trinity College. A native of Seattle, Mary will be returning to her roots in the Pacific Northwest. “Mary and I are deeply grateful to our colleagues at Trinity College—faculty, students, administrators, and trustees—who have provided such a collegial environment for us,” he noted. “No college in the country has been a more exciting place to live and work than Trinity over the last six or seven years, and I believe Trinity’s best days are still ahead. We are proud of our association with this great college.”

“Ron Thomas’ outstanding leadership and management skills have earned him the respect of all his colleagues,” said Board of Trustees Chairman Paul E. Raether ’68, “and it has been a privilege to work with him. Ron has an exceptional record of accomplishment and we are grateful for the strong role he has played during this pivotal time in the College’s growth.”

Noting Thomas’ experience and accomplishments, Trinity College President Richard Hersh said, "Ron's record at Trinity as an acclaimed teacher, superb scholar, and esteemed administrator is renowned. We are fortunate that he was willing to share his wisdom and leadership with so many areas of the College, and I view his tenure at Trinity as a vital chapter in Trinity’s proud heritage. At the same time,” he continued, “I am saddened to see another of Trinity’s most valuable leaders, Mary Thomas, leave as well. Mary has made tremendous contributions to the College and a difference in the lives of so many Trinity students. She was well-loved by the entire campus community and we wish her well.”

Currently serving as college vice president at Trinity, with responsibility for many strategic initiatives central to Trinity’s development and success, Thomas was appointed by the Board of Trustees in 2001 as acting president during the national search for Trinity College’s 19^th president.  From 1998 to 2001 he served as vice president and chief of staff at Trinity, taking a leadership role in Trinity’s urban initiative, directing implementation of the campus master plan, and developing over $100 million in capital projects.

In his role as Trinity College acting president, Thomas was charged by the Board of Trustees with maintaining the momentum that had been generated on many fronts, and with bringing into focus its top priorities and challenges for a seamless transition to the next president. Under Thomas’s direction, a comprehensive marketing initiative was completed, Trinity was named one of the top ten most selective liberal arts colleges in the country with a 29% admit rate, and development efforts surpassed a record high alumni fund goal and recorded the highest collection of gifts and pledges in college history.

Trinity Trustee and former Board chairman as well as chair of its presidential search committee, Thomas S. Johnson, who is chairman and CEO of GreenPoint Financial Corp. in New York City, noted, “We are indebted to Ron for his commitment to academic excellence at Trinity College and the energy, integrity and passion with which he approached each new project. Ron has shown himself to be a real leader. And while the Board is certainly sorry to see him take his leave, we wish him the very best at the University of Puget Sound.”

Thomas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature (magna cum laude) from Wheaton College and a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in English and American Literature from Brandeis University. Prior to coming to Trinity, he was a member of the English Department at the University of Chicago from 1982 to 1990. The year after he arrived at Trinity, he was named Mellon Faculty Fellow in the Humanities at Harvard University for 1991-92. He returned to Trinity to become chairman of the English Department and to continue his scholarly and teaching career.  In 1997, after five years chairing the English Department, Thomas was awarded Trinity’s Dean Arthur A. Hughes award for distinguished teaching achievement.

In addition to writing scholarly journal articles and chapters for more than a dozen books, Thomas has authored three books of his own. These include Dreams of Authority: Freud and the Fictions of the Unconscious (Cornell University Press, 1990) and Detective Fiction and the Rise of Forensic Science (Cambridge University Press, 1999). He has also recently co-edited and contributed to a third book from Rutgers University Press (Nineteenth-Century Geographies: The Transformation of Space from the Victorian Age to the American Century), and is at work on a fourth that explores the relationship between the late Victorian novel and the invention of the cinema (Specters of the Novel).

In May of 2002, Thomas was honored by Trinity College with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his contributions to higher education as "an insightful scholar, masterful teacher, skillful administrator, and in special recognition of extraordinary service as acting president in 2001-02."  Also cited was his leadership role in key community partnerships. “Hartford’s loss is Tacoma’s gain,” noted Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez. “Ron’s unique combination of academic and civic leadership has served us well not only in Trinity’s nationally recognized urban initiative, but in our broader efforts to make Hartford one of America's great cities again.” President Pro Tempore of the Connecticut State Senate Kevin Sullivan, concurred: “Ron will be truly missed. He has brought a steady hand, thoughtful leadership, and collaborative teamwork to this town at a critical juncture in Trinity’s history.”

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