After a moment of silence, President Don McNemar got right to the point.“I wanted to share with you today that I will conclude my service as the 7th president of Guilford College on June 30, 2002, at the end of this academic year,” he said to the administrators, trustees, and local media gathered in the Art Gallery last Friday.

McNemar announced his decision to resign, which was finalized only last Sunday, by way of a campus-wide email sent on Friday morning.

“In an effort to be fair and equal in the notification process,” said Ty Buckner, Director of College Relations, “it was decided that he would email the students, faculty, and staff, except for a very few people who needed to know [ahead of time].”

Although much of the Guilford community was focusing on events off-campus last week, McNemar felt it was important to continue with his resignation as planned due to several upcoming events, including Family Weekend and the Board of Trustees meeting.

McNemar said that, throughout his six-year term as President, he has been guided by three important principles–doing what is best for the Guilford Community, incorporating the testimonies of the Religious Society of Friends, and following his own instincts and beliefs as a Quaker.

Charlotte Roberts, Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees, listed a few of McNemar’s more concrete accomplishments. “Guilford has certainly benefited from Don’s leadership,” she said, citing the recent increases in enrollment, improvements in computer and information technology, and the successful “Our Time in History” campaign.

Over the course of the next 10 months, McNemar will remain on campus and continue “working very hard on behalf of the college,” he said.

Presumably, McNemar will also be consulting with his wife, Britta, about what the next phase of their lives will hold. “I love to teach,” he said, “and the world needs good teachers.” Previous to his term at Guilford, McNemar taught international relations at Dartmouth for 12 years. If he does not return to the classroom, however, McNemar may consider working for a foundation or government agency dealing with educational policy issues.

The McNemars described themselves as “wide open to opportunity” with regards to the future.

Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees will begin the search for a new President. Ultimately, the Board is completely responsible for that decision, although “lots of folks, students included, are involved in [the] process,” said Buckner.

Roberts said that the Board has not yet defined the process that will bring a new leader to the college. Outlining this task will be the subject of their next meeting, the first of several which will be held this academic year.

Although most students seem to have only a vague notion of what the President actually does on a day-to-day basis, many have expressed that they will miss seeing his always-smiling face around campus, at college events, and in the cafeteria.

Roberts also mentioned McNemar’s ever-present smile. “He is the standard by which I will measure all other optimists,” she said.

McNemar concluded his address on Friday with the words of George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, encouraging those assembled, and all members of the Guilford community, to “walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone.”