GODDARD PRESIDENT RESIGNS

The Associated Press

PLAINFIELD - Goddard College's president informed the board of trustees over the weekend that she'll be resigning this summer.

Barbara Mossberg intends to leave Goddard Aug. 1 to become a senior consultant to the American Council on Education. She has been president of the progressive liberal-arts college in Plainfield since 1997.

Mossberg had been special adviser to the president and interim dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at National University of San Diego before moving to Goddard. She replaced Richard Greene, who resigned as president in 1996 after faculty and students rebelled against his cost-cutting efforts.

Board Chairman Paul Blanc called Mossberg a "fantastic" leader and credited her with improving enrollment, finances and academic programs at the 650-student college.

Mossberg said Goddard has built an "inspiring and confident team" of faculty and students. "The college has experienced its capacity for growth and success," she said Sunday night. "The college realizes what it's capable of."

Mossberg has also been criticized, most notably in 1999 when the faculty supported a vote of no confidence in Mossberg and called for her and Blanc to resign. That dispute related to a labor issue, Blanc said. He said trustees approved a new three-year collective-bargaining agreement with faculty Saturday.

The 1999 dispute was "an inherited situation" built on past contract issues, Mossberg said. She said the new three-year contract concluded an "extremely amicable" negotiation.

Blanc said Mossberg has been given the title of president emeritus, which means she will stay involved with the college and will likely help in the search for her replacement. The president-emeritus designation is significant, Blanc said, because Goddard has a history of presidents' departing acrimoniously.

Trustees signed Mossberg to a five-year contract in January 2000.

Stephen Fritz, Goddard's interim provost, will serve as interim president starting Aug. 1 until a search for a new president is concluded.