While she said she enjoyed being part of the Jefferson City community the past three years, outgoing Lincoln University President Jerald Woolfolk says it's time to spend more time with her family.
Woolfolk, who logged almost 40 years in higher education, retired Saturday as Lincoln's 20th president.
Looking back at her three years at LU, Woolfolk cited among the accomplishments: the establishment of the Blue Tiger Academy summer program for incoming students; the creation of the Blue Tiger Resource Center with available food and clothing; and the raising of $2.3 million in one year, making it the largest single-year fundraising amount in Lincoln University history.
"I'm also very proud of the relationships I made in the community," Woolfolk said. "It's been a good time for me here in Jefferson City."
Woolfolk said she is appreciative of the institution's history, and she enjoyed learning more and being a part of it.
"I think that good things lie here in the future," she said, adding "Lincoln University will always be here."
During her tenure, she navigated the institution through the COVID-19 pandemic and worked to mitigate the declining enrollment.
Woolfolk said leading Lincoln University through the COVID-19 pandemic was difficult, but she praised her faculty and staff for their quick transition to virtual learning and their dedicated service throughout the year.
She said the university never had more than 14 positive cases at any one point during the school year. She credited students for following the rules, which allowed the institution to complete the year and host in-person graduation ceremonies.
Like other historically Black colleges and universities across the country, Lincoln University has had problems with rapidly dwindling enrollment numbers.
In the three years before she took office, the enrollment dropped almost 19 percent. After her first year as president, the enrollment numbers only fell by about 2 percent. She attributed the improvement to an increased focus on retention in conjunction with the usual emphasis on recruitment.
"Lincoln will continue to face enrollment problems, but I am confident that interim President (John) Moseley and his team will continue to work toward defeating that challenge," Woolfolk said.
Moseley was named the interim president Thursday as the search to find Woolfolk's successor continues.
"I have every confidence that he will do a great job in continuing to take the steps that we've been taking to stabilize Lincoln," Woolfolk said, mentioning Moseley was on her executive team so he will be prepared to face the challenges because he understands the issues.
With her time at Lincoln University over, Woolfolk expressed her appreciation for the people who were involved in her years as president.
"I want to thank the people of Jefferson City for taking me in as one of their own," Woolfolk said. "It's been my pleasure to be here and to work with the community."