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Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski announced today he plans to retire in 2015 after more than a decade at the Lawrenceville school.

(File Photo)

LAWRENCEVILLE — Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski will retire next year as the private school celebrates its 150th anniversary, campus officials announced today.

Rozanski, 67, announced his retirement in a letter to the campus community. He wrote he originally intended to retire last year, but was persuaded to stay by Rider's board of trustees until the university's anniversary.

“With that anniversary now on the horizon, Rider deserves new leadership to work with the board of trustees and the university community to shape a new and compelling vision for Rider’s future. In the meantime, I look forward to continuing our work together as we complete the important tasks still remaining and ensure a smooth leadership transition,” Rozanski said.

He called the job at Rider — a private university in Lawrenceville — the most fulfilling of his 45-year higher education career.

"I have been privileged to work with an exceptional community of dedicated trustees, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and students. I am profoundly proud of the initiatives we have undertaken and the achievements we have attained together,” Rozanski said.

Rozanski has spent more than a decade at Rider. He was previously president of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, where he also spent a decade.

At Rider, Rozanski helped increase undergraduate enrollment by 8 percent, campus officials said. The school now enrolls 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

“His decade-long guidance of the university has been superb and characterized by a clear vision, collaborative spirit, creativity and an unwavering commitment to our students’ success,” said Gary Shapiro, chairman of Rider's board of trustees.

Rider University President Mordechai Rozanski announced his plan to retire in 2015.

Rozanski will step down July 31, 2015.

A presidential search committee will be formed to help Rider's trustees chose a new president. Michael Kennedy, vice chairman of the board of trustees, will head the search committee.

“We anticipate the search process will be completed by early January 2015,” Kennedy said. “President Rozanski has worked tirelessly to make Rider University better in every way. We will be seeking a candidate who will build on his successes while laying out a new, shared vision for Rider’s future.”

Prior to becoming president at the University of Guelph and Rider, Rozanski worked at Adelphi University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Wagner College. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from McGill University in Canada and a doctorate in Chinese-American relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

Last month, Rozanski ranked among the highest-paid college presidents in New Jersey on a list compiled by the Chronicle of Higher Education, a national education publication. Rozanski's total compensation in 2011 was listed as $728,950, which included his $417,000 base salary, a performance bonus, deferred compensation that will be paid when he retires and other benefits, including pension contributions.

Last year, Rozanski voluntarily took a $50,000 cut in his base salary and declined a raise and a performance bonus, which will drop his pay to $574,237 in 2014, Shapiro said.

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