‘It has been an honor’: Western Michigan University president to retire next year

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — After leading Western Michigan University for the past seven years, University President Edward Montgomery has announced that he will retire next summer.

Montgomery took on the role in 2017 and “has steadily led Western to remarkable milestones,” the university says. In 2021, he oversaw WMU’s receipt of a massive $550 million donation, believed to be the largest single donation ever made to a public university in the country.

“It has been an honor to serve as your ninth president,” Montgomery wrote in a message to the campus community . “Looking back, I’ve found that some of my favorite WMU moments have been presiding each year over multiple commencement ceremonies. I have shaken tens of thousands of hands and said to each graduate, ‘Well done.’ I consider them ‘my kids,’ and I root for their success today and well into tomorrow.”

In a statement, WMU Board of Trustees Chair Shelly Edgerton described Montgomery as “exactly the leader we have needed during a pivotal period in our history.”

“Western owes him a deep debt of gratitude for his insightful, courageous and principled leadership as he skillfully guided the institution,” Edgerton said.

Montgomery wrote that the university is in a good position, citing factors like a record student retention rate of 81.1%, higher research productivity and a campus environment that includes a new student center and aviation facility.

“In my first State of the University address in 2017, I charged us with improving retention and graduation rates, diversifying our revenue streams and becoming a college of choice. It is undeniable that we have momentum on all three counts,” Montgomery wrote to the community. “But this is not the time to spike the ball in victory or to stop pushing and striving. Our students and our community need us and depend on Western to continue to meet their evolving needs.”

Montgomery’s term ends June 30, 2025, at which point he will retire and “start the next chapter” with his wife. The university says it intends to start searching for its next president this fall.

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