Title: Helm Named President of ELCA's Muhlenberg College
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

March 26, 2003

HELM NAMED PRESIDENT OF ELCA'S MUHLENBERG COLLEGE
03-065-FI

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Dr. P. Randolph Helm will become the 11th
president of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., on July 1.  Helm is
currently a professor of classics and vice president for college
relations at Colby College, Waterville, Maine.  Muhlenberg is one of 28
colleges and universities of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA).
     Helm, 54, will succeed Arthur R. Taylor, who was Muhlenberg's
president from August 1992 to July 2002.  James B. Steffy, a retired
Muhlenberg College vice president, serves as interim president.
     "We are extremely excited about the future of Muhlenberg College,"
said John M. Heffer, Chappaqua, N.Y., chair of Muhlenberg's board of
trustees.  "The college is in a strong position to continue its
tradition of excellence.  Jim Steffy and the senior management team have
done a superb job during the past year, and we expect Randy to provide
strong leadership for many years to come," he said.
     Born in Louisville, Ky., Helm is a 1970 graduate of Yale
University, New Haven, Conn.  He earned a doctorate in ancient history
from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, in 1980.  He servedll
from 1981 to 1988 as an adjunct assistant professor of ancient history
and urban studies at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the
faculty at Colby as a professor of classical studies.
     "I'm a fervent advocate of liberal arts education as the best
possible preparation for lives of leadership, service and lifelong
learning," said Helm. "Muhlenberg is one of the relatively small number
of liberal arts colleges that combine a close, nurturing community with
dedication to teaching and scholarship.  The extraordinary efforts and
dedication of Muhlenberg's faculty, students, staff and board
leadership, and their commitment to a shared set of values, have made
this college a national treasure," he said.
     While at the University of Pennsylvania, Helm was a senior
administrative fellow, coordinator of college house programs, associate
director of development and director of development.  At Colby he served
as vice president for development and alumni relations from 1988 to
2001.
     "Randy Helm has been an exceptional leader at Colby for the past
15 years and a highly valued member of the senior administrative staff,"
said Colby President William D. Adams.  "I will miss his wisdom and
experience, and I believe Muhlenberg College is fortunate indeed in its
choice."
     Helm is married to Patricia Burton Helm, an adjunct assistant
professor of music at Colby.  They are the parents of two sons.
     Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College now enrolls about 2,100
students and has a faculty of 146 full-time and 86 part-time educators.
-- -- --
     The home page for Muhlenberg College is at
http://www.muhlenberg.edu/ on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html