Dear Members of the Wesleyan Community:

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that Michael S. Roth of Wesleyan's Class of 1978 will become our 16^th president at the start of the 2007-08 academic year. Michael is a noted historian and teacher who currently serves as president of California College of the Arts. I believe that he embodies the qualities of leadership we seek to develop in our students, and his career reflects the sort of innovation and achievement we intend to maintain and even accelerate at Wesleyan in the years ahead.

Michael's selection as president was a broadly participatory process. I am gratified to note that the faculty, students, staff and trustees who participated in the search and who interviewed Michael consistently praised his keen understanding of Wesleyan's academic strengths, its distinctive approach to liberal education, and its ongoing promise as a leader among arts and science universities nationally. Moreover, they saw Michael's clear record of accomplishment as a teacher and a scholar, as a builder of intellectual community, and as an innovator across a range of disciplines and in a variety of institutional settings. Michael traces his intellectual and professional roots directly to Middletown, and he is a passionate advocate and practitioner of Wesleyan education.

The announcement of Michael's election to the Wesleyan presidency can be found on the Wesleyan website. Michael and his family will be formally introduced to the Wesleyan community on Friday, April 27. I hope you can be with us! In the meantime, I know you join me in welcoming Michael Roth home!

Sincerely,

Jim Dresser '63, P'93
Chair, Wesleyan University Board of Trustees