ELCA NEWS SERVICE June 9, 2005 President Of ELCA's St. Olaf College To Leave In 2006 05-101-MRC CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Christopher M. Thomforde will leave as president of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., at the end of the 2005-2006 academic year, the college announced. St. Olaf is one of 28 colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Thomforde, 58, served as president of St. Olaf since January 2001. From 1996 to 2001 he was president of Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan., and chaplain at Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Penn., from 1986 to 1996. Bethany and Susquehanna are institutions of the ELCA. "I am grateful for the opportunity the [St. Olaf] Board of Regents has given me," Thomforde said. "The work and life of St. Olaf College extends beyond any one individual, including the president. I view myself as a servant of the church, having been a pastor and missionary before coming to the college. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for me next," he said. According to Jerry Tostrud, chair of St. Olaf's Board of Regents, Thomforde's accomplishments include increasing the college's endowment fund to $70 million through gifts and strategic investment decisions. St. Olaf boasts a 94 percent retention rate among first-year students. The college's Board of Regents will appoint a search committee this summer with the goal of naming a new president by July 1, 2006. Born in Cleveland, Thomforde received a bachelor of arts degree in medieval and Russian history from Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., in 1969. He served as an instructor in western languages and medieval European history at Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan, from 1969 to 1971. In 1974 Thomforde received a master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn. While there he served as residence and program director of the International Student Center of New Haven and part-time forester with Conwood, Inc., in Rockfall, Conn. Thomforde attended Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y., in 1974 and served as assistant chaplain and instructor in philosophy and religion until 1978. He also served as the university's advisor to foreign students, chaired the Commission on Athletics and was coordinator of student activities for the Colgate Advance Placement Summer Session. From 1978 to 1986 Thomforde was pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Dansville, N.Y. At St. Paul, he held leadership roles in regional church affairs and was active in community organizations. His work included service at nearby Attica prison. In 1986 Thomforde was named Citizen of the Year in Dansville. - - - Information about St. Olaf College is available at http://www.stolaf.edu on the Internet. For information contact: John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask] http://www.elca.org/news