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Following 11 years of exemplary and dedicated service, Kent Trachte, the 15th president of Lycoming College, announced that he will retire in June 2025. Trachte provided thoughtful and bold leadership during a period of rapid change in higher education, including significant demographic shifts and the Covid 19 pandemic, while advancing initiatives that softened the boundaries of the residential campus and established bridges to the Williamsport community.
Trachte led an era of strategic transformation at Lycoming College that saw an investment of $65 million into campus facilities. During his tenure, construction of the Lynn Science Center, Krapf Gateway Center, Trachte Music Center, Keiper Stadium, and UPMC field were completed, as well as the construction of Warrior Baseball Field in Brandon Park – a project that will have a direct and lasting positive impact on the broader Williamsport community. In addition, renovations to residence halls, classrooms, science labs, and athletic facilities were completed, ensuring that the institution’s facilities reflect its programmatic strengths. Trachte also oversaw the opening of the Lycoming College Art Gallery in downtown Williamsport and a transformation of the College’s entrance.
Trachte partnered with local and state officials and private developers to revitalize the east end of Williamsport, known as Old City Williamsport, and in the process secured more than $15 million in grants from congressionally directed spending (federal economic development appropriations), the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Lycoming County, City of Williamsport, and local foundations. The intersection of Basin and Fourth and Franklin Streets was reconfigured for safety and beautified with construction projects, some of which are still underway.
During Trachte’s tenure, Lycoming executed the most successful comprehensive campaign in its history, vastly exceeding the campaign’s goals by raising $79.2 million in support of capital projects, new academic programs, endowed scholarships, and the Lycoming Fund. The campaign total represented a new all-time high for Lycoming College and led to over $35 million in new gifts to the endowment and $22 million in gifts to support the physical campus.
One of the hallmarks of his administration was the significant investment in, and commitment to, a first-rate faculty. Since Trachte took office in 2013, almost 50 percent of the current tenure track faculty were hired. Trachte emphasized the faculty’s commitment to both teaching and scholarship, which further established Lycoming as a preeminent undergraduate institution known for the quality of teaching and uncommon level of faculty publication, contributing mightily to the academic and research opportunities provided to students. Under his guidance, Lycoming College strengthened its educational offerings by undergirding its traditional liberal arts and sciences roots with the power of experiential learning, enabling students to develop a deeper understanding of their major field of study. The College expanded and modernized its academic offerings with the addition of programs in neuroscience, biochemistry, entrepreneurship, computer science, anthropology, and medieval studies. The Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences, established in 2015 to help students secure the intellectual, professional, and personal experiences they need to pursue careers and lives of meaning after graduation, stands as a signature aspect of Lycoming’s academic program. Trachte also established the Outdoor Leadership and Education program to help students learn leadership and grow professionally through intentionally-designed outdoor experiences.
Throughout his time in office, Trachte worked to improve college access for high-performing, high-need students by partnering with premier national charter schools on a first-generation recruitment strategy that led to recognition for Lycoming as a trailblazer in fostering social mobility. The initiative helped the College diversify its student body, enrolling about 30-35 percent of students who represent the global majority and improving its overall academic reputation and selectivity. Trachte led the College in reinstating two varsity sports – men’s baseball and women’s field hockey – and joining the Landmark Conference, both improving recruitment efforts and reengaging alumni who previously played for the College in these sports.
Trachte serves on several boards, currently including the Williamsport Water and Sanitary Authorities, the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) Board of Directors as Government Liaison, and the Landmark Conference President’s Council. His past service includes chairing the AICUP Board, Middle Atlantic Conference President’s Council, and the Lycoming County United Way Board. He also served on the NCAA Division III President’s Council, the Williamsport-Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce Board; and Williamsport’s Community Arts Center Board.
“Sharon and I are deeply grateful for the honor of leading Lycoming College since July 1, 2013. The years since then have been the most meaningful of our professional and personal lives, and we genuinely view them as a great gift,” said Trachte. “Even as we move on, we will have fond memories and lasting relationships. Our passion for the life-changing work that is the mission of this great college will also be sustained.”
He added, “We have developed a love of and deep appreciation for the City of Williamsport during our time here, and although we are looking forward to being closer to our son and extended family, we will miss deeply the connections we’ve made in Williamsport.”
“Kent Trachte was tirelessly devoted to Lycoming College. Under his leadership, this institution was able to affect dramatic and positive change that impacted every member of the community. After an extraordinary career of service to the education of young people, Kent’s retirement is well-earned and his legacy will be felt for decades to come. We are grateful for his service,” said Mark Fultz ’80, chair of the Lycoming College Board of Trustees. “Choosing our next leader is perhaps one of the most important actions that a Board undertakes and we will work fervently to find the person who is best-suited to the task.”
Prior to joining Lycoming College, Trachte worked for a quarter-century at Franklin and Marshall College. He began at F&M in 1988 as dean of freshmen before being named associate vice president in 1991 and dean of the college in 2003. Prior to his tenure at F&M, he taught political science at Gettysburg College, Long Island University, and Clark University.
A native of De Pere, Wis., Pres. Trachte earned a bachelor’s in government from Dartmouth College in 1973, a master’s in international relations from the University of Kentucky in 1975, and a Ph.D. in political science from Binghamton University in 1981. He and his wife, Sharon Trachte, Ph.D., who retired as an associate professor of French at Elizabethtown College after 27 years of service, have a son, Kenyon, who practices law in New York.
The Lycoming College Board of Trustees will partner with Academic Search, Washington, D.C., to launch a search for a new president, slated to take the helm of the College beginning July 1, 2025 — the start of the 2025-26 academic year.