To the Bay Path Community,

I write today to share with you that I will be retiring on June 30, 2020 after 25 years of service to Bay Path. Noel and I have been planning for this moment and look forward to our next chapter spending more time with family and friends and traveling to places we have had on our wish list for many years.

All of you and those with whom I have worked who are no longer at Bay Path have truly been the wind beneath my wings.

It is no secret that this will be an emotional transition for both of us but we leave with a deep sense of gratitude for the incredible support we have received from the Bay Path community since the day we arrived. All of you and those with whom I have worked who are no longer at Bay Path have truly been the wind beneath my wings. You were wildly enthusiastic about setting a vision for Bay Path that would take us on a journey to become one of the most entrepreneurial and courageous universities in America. We have been bold in our commitment to women’s education and women’s leadership. We have created unique undergraduate and graduate programs and experiences for women and men, all with one central goal – to create a vibrant, relevant learning environment that would inspire our students to be successful and productive citizens, employees, and community leaders.

I am proud of what we have accomplished together over 25 years. I am eternally grateful to strong and wise Board members who never wavered in their encouragement and support of our bold visions for Bay Path. I have been blessed to work with talented executive staff teams that were there to lead in the good and tough times and, always, incredibly creative in how we faced our opportunities and challenges. I am appreciative of our many donors who endorsed our dreams with their generous philanthropy.

As faculty and staff, you unselfishly offered your innovative ideas on how best to serve our students in and outside the classroom, no matter their age or stage in life. You embraced every vision plan and never failed to share your thoughts on how to strengthen Bay Path, or what new program we needed to develop, or what we could do to make a Bay Path education more accessible, affordable and achievable. You were responsive and visionary. You kept the students at the center of every decision you made. For that, I shall always be grateful.

Noel and I will miss all of you dearly and, of course, our students and alumni. Our lives have been enriched by so many shared experiences like Campus Awakening on the first day of class, Convocation, Campus Days, Alumni Reunion, Capitals of the World trips, the Women’s Leadership Conference, Academic Achievement Day, the President’s Gala, the Rose Ceremony, Graduate academic pinnings and ceremonies, and naturally, Commencement… the list goes on! We have a lifetime of memories that will forever be in our hearts.

It has been the greatest honor of my life to be the President of Bay Path University. Together, we will continue our work in service to our students over the next 15 months. There is still much to do and I look forward to your continuing support as we complete Vision 2020.

You will receive information regarding the search process for a new president from our Board Chair, Pat Pierce. It is an exciting time as Bay Path continues its course toward a very bright future.

Yours,

Carol A. Leary, PhD
President