Keystone College leader to step down

LA PLUME �?? Keystone College President Edward G. Boehm Jr. will step down on June 1, after 18 years at the helm of the private college that straddles the Wyoming and Lackawanna county lines.

Boehm�??s presidential tenure is the longest in Keystone College�??s 144-year history. And his departure is the latest in a recent string of long-tenured presidents leaving local colleges.

In the past three years, seven local college presidents have left or announced they�??ll leave. They include:

�?� Patrick F. Leahy replaced Tim Gilmour as president of Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre on June 30. Gilmour retired.

�?� The Rev. Jack Ryan succeeded the Rev. Thomas O�??Hara as president of King�??s College in Wilkes-Barre in 2011. O�??Hara has gone back to teaching.

�?� The Rev. Kevin Quinn was selected to replace the Rev. Scott. R. Pilarz as the president of The University of Scranton in 2011. Pilarz left to lead Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.

�?� Mark Volk became president at Lackawanna College in Scranton in July, replacing Raymond S. Angeli, who retired.

�?� Dr. Steven J. Scheinman has been named president and dean of The Commonwealth Medical College in Scranton. He will succeed interim president and dean Dr. Robert Wright on Sept. 10.

�?� Michael A. MacDowell announced he would leave Misericordia University in Dallas Township in 2013. A nationwide search for his successor has begun.

According to a Keystone College release, at the request of the school�??s Board of Trustees, Boehm will transition to the role of president emeritus, continuing to serve the college in various duties on campus and in the community.

Keystone will begin a nationwide search for Boehm�??s successor, with an announcement expected before the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.

�??It has been a great privilege and honor to serve as Keystone�??s president for nearly two decades,�?� said Boehm, the college�??s ninth president. �??During that time, Keystone has grown from a junior college to one of the most respected baccalaureate institutions in Northeastern Pennsylvania.�?�

Boehm began his Keystone tenure in 1995, a time when enrollment had dwindled to less than 400 students, and the school was in need of an infusion of energy and enthusiasm.

Under his leadership, Keystone became a baccalaureate college in 1998 and granted its first bachelor�??s degree to one student in 2000. Since then, the college has added academic programs and attracted more students each year. During the 2012 commencement ceremony, Keystone conferred 355 degrees, the vast majority of which were bachelor�??s degrees. Keystone�??s total enrollment is now nearly 1,800 students.

�??Ned Boehm will go down in Keystone history for his vital role in helping the college survive and prosper when the future was very much in doubt,�?� said Thomas �??Tim�?� Speicher, chairman of Keystone�??s Board of Trustees. �??We all owe him a great deal of gratitude for his numerous accomplishments and, most importantly, his tremendous dedication to Keystone College.�?�

Prior to his position at Keystone, Boehm was a senior vice president for institutional advancement at Marshall University in West Virginia. He also held senior administrative positions at American University and Texas Christian University. He has a bachelor�??s degree from Frostburg State University in Maryland and a master�??s degree and doctorate from American University.