BELLINGHAM Wash.
Western Washington University President Karen W. Morse, the longest-serving university president in the state, announced Friday she would retire Sept. 1, 2008.
Morse, 67, became Western’s 12th president in 1993.
She came to Bellingham after serving as provost at Utah State University, where she was also a chemistry professor, head of the chemistry and biochemistry department and dean of the College of Science.
Morse said she hopes to use her retirement to travel, write, consult and spend more time with her family, including two young grandchildren who live in Washington, D.C.
“The president’s job is a 24-7 job and you’re always the president. I would like to have some time that’s for me and my husband and my family,” she said, adding that she plans to stay in Bellingham.
Kevin Raymond, chair of Western’s Board of Trustees, said Morse and the board had been discussing the the timing of her retirement for several years.
