"With truly bittersweet feelings of both anticipation and regret, I have decided the time is right for my family and for me, personally and for health reasons, and right for Ursinus as well, for me to step down," Strassburger said in a statement when his departure was announced in February. "I am proud to say that the college has never been stronger or more secure in its identity."
Under Strassburger, whose career spanned 40 years in higher education, the college grew from 1,100 students to 1,700; added majors in art, theater, and dance; and hired about a dozen faculty, giving its liberal arts status a firm boost.
An American historian who dedicated his career to liberal education, he was born April 6, 1942, in Sheboygan, Wis. He spent his childhood in Milwaukee, where he worked summers as a steelworker and machinist, and picked cauliflower.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Bates College in 1964, his master's from Cambridge University in 1966 and his doctorate from Princeton University in 1976.
Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com
