SMITHFIELD, R.I. (AP) — The president of Bryant University in Rhode Island has announced that he will retire next year after more than two decades on the job.
Ronald Machtley in a letter to the Bryant community Monday said he will continue to serve through the Smithfield school’s May 2020 commencement.
The 70-year-old Machtley says he and his wife, Kati, plan to start a “new chapter in life,” when they will, travel, “rekindle old friendships,” and spend more time with their children and grandchildren.
The Navy veteran and former congressman became president in 1996 when the school was still Bryant College.
During his tenure the school improved facilities and added academic programs, boosted enrollment and academic performance, nearly doubled its endowment to $180 million, and made the move to NCAA Division I athletics.
