Early Warning

Ervin J. Rokke, president of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary since 1997, has notified the Board of Trustees that he will retire from the presidency effective July 31, 2006.

A search committee will be formed and will begin work to find a successor. Lyn Trodahl Chynoweth ’68, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Seminary, has been named to lead it.

A lieutenant general retired from the U.S. Air Force, President Rokke brought a long career in foreign policy and diplomacy to the College. In March 2005, when five Moravian students participated in a Model NATO conference in Washington, D.C., they agreed that President Rokke’s knowledge of NATO political, economic, and military issues was among the best preparation they got for the event.

The President recalled his nine years at Moravian, which he called “a marvelous institution,” in an email letter to the campus community on August 22. Speaking for himself and his wife, Pam, he said:

“We have been richly blessed by our daily association with students, faculty, and staff whose culture and values continue to reflect the inclusive and caring spirit of our Moravian founders.”

He described his “bittersweet sense of sadness and achievement” accomplished during his tenure and what yet remains to be done.

“Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary are healthy, vibrant institutions with a record of progress that extends more than 260 years and nearly 200 years, respectively,” he wrote. “Working together with boldness and determination during the past eight years, we have all built upon that record.”