Stetson University vice presidents Deborah J. Thompson and George H. Herbst each played critical roles in the first 18 months of Wendy Libby’s presidency – moving Stetson into a new era with strategies and best practices to renew the campus landscape and update classrooms with a goal of increasing enrollment and retention.

Over the past few months, both Thompson and Herbst have decided they will be leaving Stetson at the end of this academic year, and their plans were announced to the university community today. Thompson has been named vice president for enrollment and communications at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., and Herbst will be returning to retirement.

Stetson will soon launch a national search to fill the two vacancies in the President’s Cabinet.

“Stetson University has benefited enormously from the talents of these two senior administrators,” said President Wendy B. Libby. “They are each leaving us stronger and better positioned for the future.

“Sometimes, the natural turnover within positions hits at strategically important times,” Libby said. “Both George and Deb have worked hard to enhance Stetson University, and in just the past few months, have made significant changes with positive results. They have given us ample time to recruit their replacements. So I am confident we will be able to attract talented professionals to these positions who will be able to quickly move forward.”

A longtime friend and colleague of Libby, Herbst had come out of retirement from Rollins College when he joined Stetson just over a year ago as vice president for business and chief financial officer. He quickly merged two vice presidential positions and implemented a number of best practices in business and finance to move Stetson forward in greater national prominence. Herbst plans to leave Stetson during the summer, once his replacement is on-board.

This past year, Herbst oversaw $6.5 million in campus improvements at Stetson, including a major landscaping project through the core of campus, classroom renovations, energy-efficient lighting installation and the opening of a coffeehouse in the student union. He guided a Campus Master Plan process that will include renovation and future expansion of the Carlton Union Building.

“It has been a true pleasure to be part of Wendy Libby’s administration,” Herbst said. “This was a chance to use all that I’ve learned in a career in higher education for an outstanding institution and an extraordinary president. I will always be a Stetson supporter.”

Thompson has spent 10 years as vice president for enrollment management at Stetson and is now looking forward to an expanded role at Presbyterian that will also move her closer to family. Her last day at Stetson will be May 27.

During her tenure, Stetson has enjoyed the highest enrollments in its history, improved the academic quality of its student body, increased transfer student enrollment, updated its website and significantly increased student diversity.

In addition to managing enrollment, Thompson spent several years overseeing Stetson’s Campus Life Division, and she is especially proud of the professional team she built. She also played a major role when the university was selected for inclusion in the prestigious Bonner Scholar and Leader program. In 2010, she won a Bonner Administrator Award as part of the Bonner Foundation Founders Award program. Thompson led the way with best practices and new strategies as Stetson adopted a goal to significantly increase undergraduate enrollment over the next five years. Application and admission numbers for the incoming class for fall 2011 are very strong, she said, and it appears the university will enroll more out-of-state students than in recent years.

“We developed a comprehensive approach to enrollment that engages the entire university community and culminates each spring with our annual Accepted Student and Family Day,” Thompson said. “I’m proud of my team’s accomplishments over the years, and of the significant progress the university has made. Stetson is a special place and has given me the opportunity to grow professionally. The university will always be important for me.”