Laurie M. Joyner, the president of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, announced that she was stepping down from her post immediately. She has been president of the university since 2012 and was the first woman to lead the university.
The university enrolls about 1,850 students and women make up 57 percent of the student body. Wittenberg recently announced major budget cuts of $6.5 million, amounting to 11 percent of the entire university’s expenditures.
Neither the university’s board of directors or President Joyner said why she was leaving. In a statement, Dr. Joyner said that the “decision to leave Wittenberg has not been easy. I have been honored to work with talented students and caring colleagues on the faculty and staff and have particularly enjoyed providing leadership development opportunities throughout the University community. It has been an honor and an exceptional privilege to serve Wittenberg University for the past three years and to support its abiding commitment to the liberal arts, its commitment to academic and athletic excellence and its dedication to service.”
Thomas J. Murray, chair of the board of directors, praised President Joyner’s efforts. “Dr. Joyner is leaving Wittenberg University in a much stronger financial position and with talented staff members to continue the progress begun during her tenure,” Murray said. “Her depth of experience and expertise in academia made her the right leader for Wittenberg through this time of challenging and necessary transitions, and helped to establish a foundation for an even greater Wittenberg that will nurture young leaders for generations to come.”
Prior to joining Wittenberg in 2012, Dr. Joyner served in a number of senior administrative positions, including provost, at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Dr. Joyner is a magna cum laude graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans. She earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Tulane University in New Orleans.