University of Windsor president Alan Wildeman announced Friday that he will leave his position effective June 2018. Dr. Wildeman was appointed to his position July 1, 2008.

The announcement came during his annual State of the University address, in which Wildeman said he had made his decision only after long reflection.

“I am immensely proud of what the University has accomplished since I’ve been here. But it is all of you who have done it and the biggest task and the biggest joy for me is to applaud you,” he said to an audience that included faculty, staff, students, board members, retirees, and community leaders.

“It’s the right time for renewal to occur. The rebuilding of the campus, the integration into the downtown, the investment in new faculty, the need to make the rest of Ontario more aware of us, and most importantly the need to never waver from our story of letting students know that they come first… these were the things I saw as being important when I began.”

Wildeman informed the University’s Board of Governors of his decision prior to his address and the board will immediately begin the process to undertake a search for the next president.

Read the entire text of his address, “2017: A Prime Number for a Prime Year.”