President Richard W. Schneider, we salute you!
This is not the exit we wanted for President Schneider. And, as he has said several times, it is not the one he wanted, either.
After 28 years of leadership, his accomplishments are numerous. As the university’s 23rd president, he oversaw multimillion-dollar fundraising campaigns that allowed makeovers of existing campus buildings and the addition of new ones and boosted the university’s endowment fivefold. He oversaw increases in enrollment, expanded academic majors and course offerings and championed undergraduate research programs and study away and abroad programs as 'hands on' experiential learning opportunities. He spearheaded an expansion of the Corps of Cadets and the establishment of the online College of Graduate and Continuing Studies and Center for Civic Engagement. His Norwich After Next plan has the university poised to prosper for years to come. The list goes on.
In many ways, Norwich was President Schneider and President Schneider was Norwich. He spoke countless times on campus and off, always cheery and encouraging, telling students if they strived, they would thrive. He encouraged students to come here and pursue their passion, in the classroom, on the athletic fields and in the labs. He signed every degree, welcomed back every Homecoming alum, shook every hand.
We wanted to send Schneider off in showers of applause and choruses of thank yous at commencement and commissioning. We wanted to stop him on the Upper Parade Ground, or any other campus spot, and express our gratitude. The coronavirus crisis dashed all that, forcing us to distance and shelter and finish the year virtually. But on this page, you will see President Schneider in action in his final year.
We cannot thank you enough, Sir. You are everything excellent and everything Norwich.
Through the years
28years ago, Richard W. Schneider arrived in Northfield, Vermont to become the 23rd president of Norwich University. In the nearly three decades he has served as president, he has inspired and executed his strategic plan with extraordinary competence, humility and boundless energy.
According to the American Council on Education, only 5% of college or university presidents serve more than 20 years. In the entire history of our country, fewer than 130 college presidents have served 28 years or more continuous years at the same institution.
"The Hill" and all its roads to and from, your legacy will remain.
Thank you, President Richard W. Schneider
Norwich Forever!
CITIZENS & SOLDIERS
The First 200 Years of Norwich University—New York Times bestselling author Alex Kershaw brings this remarkable story to life in a beautifully written and illustrated book on the history and heritage of the nation’s oldest private military college.
Buy Your Copy Here