College President to Step Down at End of Year

After nine years as president of Whittier College, Dr. James Ash announced Wednesday that he will step down at the end of the academic year.

During Ash’s tenure, the school underwent some of the most dramatic growth in its history, including the construction of a new Whittier Law School campus and a 35% increase in undergraduate enrollment.

Ash also emphasized fund-raising, and the college has more than tripled its endowment since his arrival.

“In reviewing the successful efforts that we have launched together in the past nine years, I have come to the conclusion that by the end of this, my 10th year, I will have accomplished what [the Board of Trustees] brought me to Whittier to do,” Ash said in a statement.

Ash came to the liberal arts college after 12 years as a scholar and administrator at the University of Miami. In deciding his plans for the future, he said that this year he would “examine other professional opportunities openly and candidly.”