{"id":21705,"date":"2026-05-19T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/?p=21705"},"modified":"2026-05-19T10:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:07:46","slug":"elizabethtown-college-president-elizabeth-a-rider-announces-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2026\/05\/19\/elizabethtown-college-president-elizabeth-a-rider-announces-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabethtown College President Elizabeth A. Rider Announces Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"After nearly 40 years of service, Rider leaves a legacy of academic growth, enrollment momentum, and institutional strength<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Today, Elizabethtown College announced that President Elizabeth A. Rider will retire effective June 30, 2027, concluding nearly 40 years of distinguished service to the institution. Rider first came to Elizabethtown College in 1988 as a professor of psychology and went on to serve the institution in numerous academic and administrative leadership roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am deeply grateful to have served Elizabethtown College as president during a time of transformational growth and strength,\u201d President Rider said. \u201cI will retire confident that the College is well positioned for long-term sustainability, and will continue to advance its mission of providing transformative opportunities for students. I remain inspired by the students, faculty, staff, alumni, and supporters who will continue to shape the future of Etown.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since being named the College\u2019s 16th president in 2022, Rider has led Elizabethtown College through a period of momentum, strengthening the institution academically, financially, and culturally while advancing strategic priorities focused on student success, enrollment growth, academic innovation, and long-term sustainability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Board of Trustees is immensely proud of President Rider\u2019s steady and thoughtful leadership,\u201d Elizabethtown College Chairman Michael S. Spangler \u201988 said. \u201cHer deep commitment to the College community has strengthened the institution in lasting ways, and she leaves a legacy of stability, growth, and mission-centered leadership that will benefit Elizabethtown College for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

As President Rider planned for her retirement, she kept the Board of Trustees informed throughout the process, allowing time for thoughtful planning and a smooth leadership transition. This proactive approach positions the institution to build on the strong momentum and accomplishments achieved during her tenure.<\/p>\n

\"\"Under President Rider\u2019s leadership, the College achieved record enrollment milestones, exceeded fundraising goals, and reached a historic endowment milestone surpassing $100 million. In 2025, President Rider also led the celebration of the institution\u2019s 125th anniversary<\/a> through a year-long series of commemorative events, including the introduction of an updated College Alma Mater. Recently, the College successfully concluded its five-year Strategic Plan under Rider\u2019s leadership and has begun developing Strategic Plan 2030, a new five-year roadmap set to launch this fall.<\/p>\n

President Rider also oversaw the launch of the College\u2019s $40 million Build Brighter Futures campaign<\/a>, designed to expand access to Etown\u2019s distinctive educational experience through scholarship support and create opportunities for future generations of students.<\/p>\n

During her tenure, she also led renovations to several key academic spaces, including the High Auditorium for Collaborative Learning<\/a> and upgraded Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology laboratories<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Prior to her presidency, she served as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs and led significant academic innovations, including restructuring academic programs and establishing the College\u2019s formal School structure. President Rider\u2019s leadership was instrumental in launching a five-year Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program and expanding Etown’s highly regarded Occupational Therapy program to include a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD).<\/p>\n

President Rider also serves as a member of the Board of Directors<\/a> for the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP), contributing to statewide efforts that advocate for independent higher education.<\/p>\n

Her visionary leadership has earned regional and statewide recognition, including being named to the City & State Pennsylvania Trailblazers in Higher Education list in 2024 and the Central Penn Business Journal Power 100 list<\/a> in 2025. The Board of Trustees will begin a presidential search immediately and will provide regular updates to the community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After nearly 40 years of service, Rider leaves a legacy of academic growth, enrollment momentum, and institutional strength Today, Elizabethtown College announced that President Elizabeth A. Rider will retire effective June 30, 2027, concluding nearly 40 years of distinguished service to the institution. Rider first came to Elizabethtown College in 1988 as a professor of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":21706,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1338,775],"tags":[197,1350,786,1996],"class_list":["post-21705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-and-research","category-campus","tag-elizabethtown-college","tag-etown","tag-president","tag-president-betty-rider","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21705"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21705\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21715,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21705\/revisions\/21715"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}