April 23, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
Three years ago, Mike Coyne joined us as interim Vice President for Finance and Administration following a long career in higher ed leadership, including at Susquehanna University. A few months after he started, I asked him to stay on in a permanent role. Given his admiration for the College and our strategic direction, Mike agreed. He also let me know that having already retired once, he was likely to serve the College for only a few years. Mike recently let me know of his decision to retire (again!) this summer, after the Board meeting and the setting of next year’s budget.
Mike has been an invaluable partner during his tenure at the College. He has helped steer us wisely through the choppy budgetary environment facing so much of higher education. This has allowed us to find creative ways to work more efficiently, while also investing in programs and activities that will lead us into our future. The new residence halls, the renovated CUB Ballroom, the strategic relocation and strengthening of the Rogers Center for Innovation and Creativity are among the enduring imprints Mike will leave behind on our campus.
Although Mike is impossible to replace, his retirement has provided an opportunity to rethink the structure of the President’s Council to better align with the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s Gettysburg College. Within the President’s Council, we will be placing less emphasis on traditional divisional lines and more on areas of programmatic priority, integration, and strategy.
These changes will allow us to work more efficiently. They will also result in meaningful compensation savings at the President’s Council level.
We will not replace Mike’s role as Vice President for Finance and Administration and will redistribute those responsibilities among current senior leaders. Starting this summer:
- Matt Price will serve as the College’s Chief Financial Officer, reporting directly to me and serving on the President’s Council. No one at the College better understands our financial infrastructure, and no one has been more thoughtful, insightful, and creative in helping us see the possibilities and obstacles.
- In addition to her oversight of College Life, Anne Ehrlich will now also have responsibility for Facilities, Dining/Auxiliary Services, and IT. Each of these functions directly affects students and bringing them together in one division will reinforce our student-centered mission.
- The strength of the College is grounded in our people and the remarkable community our people create. At a moment of so much change across higher education and on our campus, I have repeatedly heard from faculty, staff, and students urging that we pay special attention to these distinctive strengths. I very much agree.
I have, therefore, asked Kris Stuempfle to take on a focused set of responsibilities new to our campus, in addition to her ongoing role as Chief of Staff. Working across the College, including through the oversight of Human Resources, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and Title IX, Kris will have explicit responsibility for ensuring that our continued transformation as a College also advances our commitments to our people and our community. In addition, Kris will oversee our risk-management program, and Eloísa Gordon-Mora will continue to serve on the President’s Council.
- Finally, I am both more formally recognizing and expanding the role Jamie Yates has played at the College during most of my presidency—that of a key strategic partner to me and to the institution. Jamie will continue to oversee the Office of Communications and Marketing and will also play a central role in helping to conceptualize and drive strategic change across the College, including through her ongoing work on Gettysburg 2.0. Through this and other key strategic initiatives, she will help ensure that our most important priorities are clearly defined, aligned across divisions, and moving forward effectively.
This past summer, I asked Rob Schwartz ’92 to step down from the Board of Trustees and serve as our next Vice President for Enrollment and Educational Services. At that time, I underscored that this is not a moment for higher education to stand still, given the enormous opportunities and challenges we face. With his background in helping institutions thrive during turbulent moments, Rob continues to show the countless reasons why he is the right person at the right time to take on the vitally important role at EES.
The changes announced today are in keeping with the commitment reflected by Rob’s hire: a determination to adapt our structures to ensure that we are responsive both to the changing society into which our students will graduate and to the profoundly changed environment for higher education. We have seen this commitment vividly manifested as well in the remarkable openness and creativity throughout the Gettysburg 2.0 process.
The changes also reflect something true about our College: the dedication of our people and their willingness to step up to meet the moment. I am grateful to Mike Coyne for his service, to Matt, Anne, Kris, and Jamie for assuming new responsibilities in this revised structure, and to every member of this community who lives our mission in their everyday work.
In gratitude,
Bob Iuliano
President