College of the Atlantic President Darron Collins will step down at the end of the 2023-24 academic year after more than 12 years leading the Bar Harbor-based school, according to a news release.
In a statement, Collins, who graduated from the school in 1992, said “presidential transitions are a natural and expected process for institutions of higher education, and this is the right time for the college to embrace new leadership.”
In the announcement, he highlighted major accomplishments during his tenure as president, including the completion of two successful capital campaigns, the most recent of which raised $55 million; the construction of three new buildings; a doubling of the amount of student housing; and the school having been named the leading green college by Princeton Review from 2016-2023.
Other accomplishments he cited included bringing environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy and his Road Line to campus and creating the College of the Atlantic Summer Institute, now in its seventh year.
The school’s Board of Trustees expects will form a presidential search committee, composed of faculty, students, staff, and trustees, the announcement stated.
Collins is the first alumni president of College of the Atlantic, according to the announcement. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human ecology in 1992 and holds a master’s degree in Latin American studies and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University.
He previously worked for the World Wide Fund for Nature for 10 years, ending as the managing director of creative assets. He became president of College of the Atlantic in 2011.