Outgoing Rockford University President Eric Fulcomer is credited with helping stabilize the school’s finances, raising funds to improve its campus and guiding the institution through the challenges presented by the pandemic. of COVID-19.
Fulcomer will step down on December 10 after nearly a decade at the school, including the last six and a half years as president.
Fulcomer, 51, has accepted a position as president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Wisconsin in Madison. He will oversee an organization of 23 independent or private nonprofit higher education institutions in Badger State.
“I really enjoyed my time at Rockford University and I’m very proud of the people here and what they’ve accomplished during my time here,” Fulcomer said. “It’s hard to leave and it’s also hard to leave the community.”
Communication between staff, faculty and students has improved under Fulcomer’s leadership, according to Rockford University board chair Rebecca Epperson.
“He was really brilliant at getting out and talking to donors. It was huge,” she said. “From a board perspective, Eric helped develop a strategic plan and oversight that we continue to use today.”
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Fulcomer began his career at Rockford University as the school’s vice president for enrollment officer in 2013. He was named the university’s 18th president in 2016, succeeding Robert Head.
“The legacy of any institution and any president is graduates and so I am truly proud of the students who have graduated in the 10 years I have been here and the alumni before them,” Fulcomer said. “We have a remarkable group of alumni living all over the world.”
Enrollment at Rockford University is currently 1,171 full-time and part-time students from 30 states and 15 countries.
The school had a record freshman class during the pandemic in fall 2020 when Rockford University returned to in-person learning
“The real good thing is that the students who came to this record class stayed at the same percentage as they normally do and so we didn’t have a lot of students who had just arrived and then once the things became more normal in other places, they transferred. It just didn’t happen,” Fulcomer said.
Fulcomer said he will miss engaging with students on a regular basis more than anything else.
“Students keep you young, they ask good questions and bring great energy to campus. It is a real privilege to work with young people aged 18 to 22 and to spend time with them and be part of their growth. I really feel that we are making a difference in the lives of our students.
Former University of Southern New Hampshire president Patricia Lynott serves as interim president of Rockford University while the school’s board of trustees searches for Fulcomer’s successor.
It is not known when a new president will be appointed.
Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Reach him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.
