NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The president of the University of New Orleans has announced that he will retire in January — four years after he took the helm amid lower post-Hurricane Katrina enrollment, turmoil over budget cuts and leadership changes.
Peter Fos made the announcement Monday. He was named president in December 2011, not long after UNO moved from the Louisiana State University System, into the University of Louisiana system, which oversees eight other universities around the state.
Enrollment at the university has fallen from more than 17,000 prior to Hurricane Katrina, which struck in 2005, to below 10,000.
The New Orleans Advocate’s Richard Thompson reports that UNO's state funding fell from $56 million in 2008 to $28 million last year.
School officials blame the enrollment decline on several factors, including stricter admission standards.
Fos released the following retirement announcement to UNO faculty, graduate and undergraduate students yesterday:
Subject: Message to the UNO Community
TO: All Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM: Peter J. Fos, Ph.D., M.P.H.
President
DATE: August 31, 2015
RE: Retirement Announcement
I have decided to retire from my position of President of the University of New Orleans, effective January 31, 2016. Having the opportunity to serve as President of my alma mater has been, by far, the highlight of my professional life. The University of New Orleans has faced many challenges since I was selected President by the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System on December 9, 2011. However, due to the commitment and passion of the outstanding faculty and staff, the University of New Orleans is a better place than when I first arrived. This university was a special place when I was a student, and it remains a special place today with an incredible student body.
I will assist in the transition to the new President in every way that I am able, and I hope that the new leader of this great university will continue my quest for excellence, as I have continued the work of my predecessors. I have full confidence that my successor will be up to the task to address our current and future challenges as our university continues to achieve its full potential.
I would like to thank the faculty and staff who have assisted me during my Presidency, and I fully expect the same support during my last months as President. I would like to also thank the students for their enthusiasm and pride in being Privateers. I am certain that they will have an impact on shaping the future, as our graduates have done over the past 57 years.
I thank the UL Board of Supervisors for selecting me as President and for their unyielding support over the past four years. The successes that we have enjoyed can be attributed, in part, to the support from Dr. Sandra Woodley and the UL System office staff.
I thank our committed alumni who support the University with both their time and money. Without them our university would not be what it is today. The business community has opened its arms to me during my presidency and words cannot adequately express my appreciation for its support of the University of New Orleans.
Finally, I must thank my wife, children and grandchildren for their love and support and for allowing me to dedicate the past four years of my life to the University of New Orleans. My wife, Lori, has been my partner and supporter as I have worked to serve the University and its constituencies.
