Baldwin Wallace Interim Provost and Acting President Tom Sutton announcedhe will be stepping down in an email sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. Chief Operating Officer Greg Flanik will immediately step into the role of interim president. Sutton will continue to serve as interim provost until Jan. 1, 2025.
Sutton will also serve as an adjunct professor though February 2025 to assist Flanik in his transition into interim president before Sutton leaves the university.
"I will work with a newly named interim president, Senate President Kent Cleland, and BW Board Chair Lee Thomas to conduct a brief internal search process to identify and announce an Interim Provost prior to December 19, the last day before the winter break," Sutton said in the email.
Sutton will return to serve as an adjunct instructor as needed in the fall of 2025.
Sutton began serving as interim president after former university president Bob Helmer retired in June and assisted the university as it navigated a budget deficit and job cuts.
"When I first accepted the role of Interim Provost and Acting President, my intention was to help transform the university and establish a course of continuous improvement as we addressed our budget challenges," Sutton said in his email. "We are currently on that path and have made important progress, which gives me renewed hope for the university's future."
With Flanik stepping into the president's role, the university will be returning to a traditional leadership structure, according to an email sent to the Baldwin Wallace community Tuesday.
The Office of the President, formed by the university's Board of Trustees in July, will be disbanded effective immediately, according to the email.
"Interim President Flanik will also convene a new President's Cabinet, charged with ensuring proper checks and balances across leadership areas, gathering meaningful input from faculty and staff, and providing transparent reporting on decisions and actions," Board of Trustees Chair Lee Thomas said in the email.
The university's presidential search committee has narrowed down its final candidates for university president, according to an email sent to faculty on Dec. 2, and expects to conduct final interviews in January.
The names of the remaining presidential candidates will not be released ahead of the decision, presidential search committee chair Paul Clarke said in the email.
"One of the main reasons for this is to protect the privacy of candidates," Clark said. "We want all candidates to feel comfortable during the interview process since several are currently in leadership positions.
The university expects to announce its 10th president in February at the earliest, according to a university spokesperson.
