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POSITION: President Emeritus

DEPARTMENT: Emeriti

Richard Detweiler was the sixth president of Eastern Mennonite College from 1980-87. The 55-year-old churchman from eastern Pennsylvania was elected to succeed Myron Augsburger in July 1980 but did not officially take office until a year later.

At the time of his election, he was moderator of Franconia Mennonite Conference, director of the conference’s leadership training program, pastor of Souderton Mennonite Church, and former principal of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. During the 1976-77 academic year, he had served as interim dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary.

A graduate of EMC, Detweiler earned two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Princeton Theological Seminary.

During his presidency, Detweiler strengthened the school’s relations with its church constituency, describing the purpose of EMC&S as “equipping persons for the mission of Jesus Christ and his church in the world.” He focused on leadership training for service, teaching several classes himself, most notably a course named “Faith Development.”

During his term, Detwiler faced the challenge of slumping enrollments and budget cuts that affected faculty and programs. A fire in 1984 destroyed the Administration Building during a major renovation and seriously affected campus morale. 

By the time he left EMC&S, however, the student population was on the increase again and a striking new Campus Center replaced the former “Ad” building. The Campus Center, completed in 1986, was the first building to follow a new policy that facilities were to be constructed debt-free and that an endowment fund be set aside for upkeep.

Under Detweiler, then-academic dean Albert Keim led a consultative process with the faculty that resulted in one of the cornerstones of undergraduate education to this day: a requirement that students be exposed to cross-cultural matters through study and experience.

Detweiler resigned in 1987 and served one year as pastor of Harrisonburg Mennonite Church. He then returned to Pennsylvania, resuming some of his work with Franconia Conference, including serving as the conference’s director of pastoral education.

After a 16-month illness that turned out to be cancer and other ailments, Detweiler died in 1991 at age 66.

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