The College of the Atlantic’s president will step down at the end of this academic year, the school announced Wednesday.
Sylvia Torti, who has been COA’s president since June 2024, is leaving her position to serve as president of Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah, college officials said Wednesday.
Torti, the college’s eighth president since its 1969 founding, will be temporarily replaced by COA Vice President for Institutional Advancement Lynn Boulger, pending her Board of Trustees appointment.
Boulger served as the school’s dean of institutional advancement for 13 years before leaving COA for a role as the executive director of the Authors Guild Foundation. She returned to her current position in 2025.
Before COA, Torti was the dean of the Honors College at University of Utah, where she earned her Ph.D. She has published multiple scientific articles, short stories and novels throughout her career, according to the school’s website.
“I continue to believe deeply in the mission of College of the Atlantic. Its human-ecological approach, its connection to place, and its commitment to linking learning with real-world challenges make it not just relevant, but essential,” Torti said. “The foundation is in place for what comes next, and I’m excited to see where that work leads.”
