EUREKA— Eureka College President J. David Arnold is retiring on June 30, 2016 after 11 years of service to the college. To honor that service, the Board of Trustees is hosting a Leadership Tribute Dinner on June 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the Terrill Rooms of the Cerf Center.
The dinner will honor both President Arnold and his wife, Katherine, who has served as the community ambassador for the past decade. It will also celebrate those who have worked closely with Arnold over the course of his tenure.
Since becoming President in 2005, Arnold has doubled the college’s endowment and reached record levels of financial support. The college also achieved record enrollment and fundraising under his leadership and completed almost $30 million in campus improvements.
“President Arnold has been a transformational leader over the course of his tenure,” said Board Chairman, Bill King. “The last 11 years have been some of the most dynamic and successful in achieving our mission of excellence in learning, service and leadership.”
The dinner is open to the public. Tickets are $100 and can be reserved by calling (877) 892-7823. Proceeds from the dinner will support the creation of the J. David and Katherine Arnold Leadership Fund at Eureka College; donors have already committed more than $110,000 to this fund.
Arnold will take on a new, part-time role as chancellor. In this role, he will concentrate
on developing new leadership initiatives and continue to build on the momentum of record fundraising by devoting special attention to donor relationships. Dr. Jamel Santa Cruze Bell will take over as interim president on July 1.
10 facts about Eureka College during the David Arnold administration
EUREKA— Eureka College President J. David Arnold is retiring on June 30, 2016 after 11 years of service to the college. His tenure at Eureka College has proven to be some of the strongest and most successful years in the college’s 161-year history. The college’s accomplishments under Arnold include:
- Graduated 1,676 students from Eureka College, approximately 30.5 percent of all alumni.
- Achieved unprecedented financial strength with ten consecutive balanced budgets.
- Nearly doubled the college’s endowment from $12 million to $20.26 million.
- Raised a record level of private support, including $7.3 million in 2014, the largest amount raised in the college’s history, which makes a total of $35 million in contributions over 11 years.
- Investments of nearly $30 million in campus improvements, including the new Ivy Residence Hall and Sanders Hall and construction of the Christine Bonati Bollwinkle Arena and Convocation Center.
- Maintained a consistent low-cost tuition pricing strategy with a low tuition discount.
- Record enrollment in 2010.
- Created the Reagan Forward initiative and the Ronald W. Reagan Society, engaging hundreds of speakers, influential donors, authors, scholars, and leaders, to study, teach and share the story of American opportunity.
- Created more than 30 endowed scholarships.
- Eureka College campus named to the National Register of Historical Places in 2010.