Dear staff and faculty:
By now you have received the communication from Mr. Bob Gerst announcing that I will retire from my position as President of Heritage on June 30, 2025.
This is a deeply personal decision and has nothing to do with Heritage University, my relationship with faculty, staff, the board of directors, or students. My decision really centers on me wanting to be closer to my family and to be able to engage in other projects, which have been idle. I will not retire from working. I still need to make a living and I hope to be involved in several activities.
The years I have spent as president have been the most rewarding of my career. I truly believe in the mission of Heritage, and I have been inspired by you every day. Even though I will not be president, I am sure that the University will continue to educate the people of this region for many years with strong and innovative programs.
I am very proud of what we have done during these past seven years. While there are too many accomplishments to mention here, some of the more important center around bringing a stronger focus and clarity to our mission. We have increased the number and percentage of Native American students attending Heritage, and we have significantly diversified our faculty. It is very rewarding for me to see the great number of highly qualified individuals who have chosen to come to Heritage to teach.
In addition to faculty, I am always amazed by the level of commitment of our staff and administrators. You live the mission in ways that permanently enhance my own feelings about the University. It has been an honor to work with you in good and not so good times.
In other areas, we have improved our facilities and about doubled the size of our endowment. This is not easy to do in the current higher education environment. We have brought new initiatives such as the Yakima Valley Partners for Education, the Law School Admission summer program, a new building in the Tri-cities, and many others.
And who can forget that we weathered a pandemic together? There were doubters, but we provided our students with continued quality programs under very difficult circumstances.
There is nothing in life that is permanent and there is no one person that stays forever in an organization. This is good. The University will live for generations, but all of us are ephemeral to the true power of the institution. I am sure that Heritage University will continue to thrive in the future. I will always promote it and I will always be a part of it in my heart.
During my time as president, I have always felt supported by you and I have thoroughly enjoyed all my interactions with you. I will cherish them for the rest of my life.
Finally, it is important to say that I am not gone yet. I am here for a whole other year and there is much work we need to do. I look forward to engaging with all of you during this coming academic year.
With deep affection and appreciation,
Andrew Sund
Andrew C. Sund, Ph.D.
President