MACON (ABP) — Kirby Godsey, Mercer University's longest-serving president, announced he will retire in 18 months, and trustees expect to start the search for his successor as early as spring.
At a recent trustee meeting, Godsey, 68, revealed his plans to step down June 30, 2006. “A part of the stewardship of the president's office is to assure a smooth and orderly transition for the next administration,” he said in a statement. He said he will “continue to be an ambassador for Mercer and active in civic and professional affairs.”
Godsey called the presidency, which he has held since 1979, “the most important and defining work of my life and career.”
Trustee chairman James Bishop, an attorney from Brunswick, Ga., said Godsey “has taken a good university and made it one of the best in the nation.” The timing of Godsey's retirement “will give the board the luxury of doing a thorough and careful search,” he said.
Mercer trustee and Augusta attorney David Hudson will head the search committee, which will begin work in the spring.
Godsey went to work for the historically Baptist university in 1977 as executive vice president and dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Previously he was vice president and dean of the college at Averett College in Danville, Va.
When Godsey became president in 1979, Mercer had an enrollment of 3,800 students, an endowment of $16.5 million, and a budget of $21.3 million. It grew under his leadership to become Georgia's second largest private university, with an enrollment of 7,300 students, an endowment of more than $176 million, a budget of $173.8 million and 665 faculty members, the university said in a statement.
The outspoken Godsey often attracted controversy in Baptist life. His 1996 book, “When We Talk About God, Let's Be Honest,” which prompted charges of heresy from some Christian critics and strong defense from Godsey supporters.