President will retire from university June 30.
By: Lea Kahn
Several hundred of Rider University President Bart Luedeke’s closest friends gathered Sunday afternoon at the school’s Student Center to bid farewell to the departing president and his wife, Linda.
Dr. Luedeke, who has worked at Rider for 32 years the last 13 as its president is retiring June 30. Mordechai Rozanski has been named to succeed him as the school’s sixth president.
At the reception, Rider University trustee Joan Mazzotti announced that the board of trustees was renaming the Student Center in honor of Dr. Luedeke. It will be known as the Bart Luedeke Center in recognition of his 32 years of service to the school.
Councilwoman Pam Mount also presented Dr. Luedeke with a resolution from Township Council that honored his services. She also thanked Dr. Luedeke for sharing his campus with the township for the annual Fourth of July fireworks and the various seminars that it holds.
With the Blawenburg Band playing in the background, Dr. Luedeke greeted guests at the reception in the Cavalla Room at the Student Center. On a table next to the band, guests were invited to write messages to Dr. and Mrs. Luedeke on black paper with silver-inked pens. The messages were to be compiled in a memory book.
A slide show of photographs of Dr. Luedeke was projected onto a screen. There were slides of Dr. Luedeke with college officials and slides of the president at social functions over the years.
And there were slides of Dr. Luedeke, standing on the sidelines at an athletic contest or sitting in the bleachers with his wife. Another slide featured the school’s cheerleaders, holding up individual signs that said, "We’ll Miss You Bart."
Tony Dickson, vice chairman of the school’s board of trustees, told the crowd of friends and well-wishers that Dr. Luedeke is respected inside and outside of Rider University. He is respected for his integrity and keen intellect, as well as his sense of humor and humility, Mr. Dickson said.
Dr. Luedeke always has had ample time for the students for their problems and their smiles, Mr. Dickson said. The president is a man who is interested in doing what is right for Rider University, he said.
"Perhaps the greatest testimonial to Bart is that a growing number of parents have entrusted him with the moral up-bringing of their children," Mr. Dickson said, referring to increased enrollments at the four-year college.
Wayne Saldanha, who served as the Student Government Association president before his graduation last week, said he did not expect to see Dr. Luedeke at the school’s Senior Week activities, but there he was at the barbecue and, of all places, at the Rider University Pub.
"It shows how much he cares for the students," Mr. Saldanha said. "(The students) cannot thank you enough. From the bottom of our hearts, good luck and God bless."
Dominick Iorio, the dean emeritus of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, recalled the 20 years that he worked with Dr. Luedeke, starting when Dr. Luedeke came to Rider University as the assistant to then-President Frank Elliott.
Dr. Luedeke demonstrated leadership when he was named dean of the College for Continuing Studies, Dean Iorio said. Dr. Luedeke transformed it into the most student-responsive college on the Rider campus, he said.
As the school’s associate provost, vice president for academic affairs and then provost, his leadership was manifested in his sensitive, caring, intelligent and hard-working efforts as the administration’s chief labor negotiator, Dean Iorio said. Dr. Luedeke earned the highest respect of the faculty, he said.
"Bart well understood that the contemporary university is a delicate balance between a corporate enterprise requiring fiscal soundness and a community of scholars committed to the transformation of the minds and hearts of students," Dean Iorio said. "He fulfilled his responsibilities to each of these facets of the university with creative energy, incisiveness and integrity."
Rider University trustee Joan Mazzotti said the board accepted Dr. Luedeke’s resignation with a tremendous sense of loss. She said that she would have preferred that he stay on, "but I knew that this decision, like all of Bart’s decisions, was made with great care and purpose and with Rider’s best interests in mind and at heart."
"Bart leaves Rider in the best fiscal and operational condition in its history," Ms. Mazzotti said. "During his tenure, we have achieved qualitative and quantitative growth. The caliber of the faculty is at an all-time high. As a result of Bart’s leadership and unwavering dedication to Rider’s success, Rider has a very bright future indeed."
Ms. Mazzotti listed Dr. Luedeke’s accomplishments during his presidency. Rider College gained university status, and it was consistently rated well by U.S. News and World Report. The school merged with Westminster Choir College in Princeton under Dr. Luedeke’s leadership, she said.
Under Dr. Luedeke’s guidance, Rider University launched its first general campaign the $55 million Campaign for Rider University, she said. The campaign is closing in on that fund-raising goal, she added.
The campus has undergone major improvements in the last decade, Ms. Mazzotti said. A new science and technology center and a new admissions building were constructed. Memorial Hall, Science Hall, the Student Center and the Yvonne Theater underwent major renovations, she said.
"These are significant and noteworthy achievements," Ms. Mazzotti said. "However, there is so much more to Bart’s legacy. Bart may be best remembered for his civility, modesty and sense of humor. He is a college president without ego or guile.
"His commitment to students is legendary and perhaps is best exemplified by his habit of dispensing candy from his office window," she said. "I heard someone comment that Rider has taken on Bart’s personality. It’s a good personality for an individual and for a university."
Then, with the help of seven past presidents and the current president of the Rider University Student Government Association, Ms. Mazzotti unveiled the plaque renaming the Student Center in honor of Dr. Luedeke.
Stunned and surprised, Dr. Luedeke admitted this was only the second time in his career when he had to search for words. The other time was the day of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., he said.
"None of us knew at that point (Sept. 11, 2001) what was going on," Dr. Luedeke said. "There were about 2,000 students standing on the mall. I felt obligated to say something comforting and meaningful. I guess I feel the same way now."
Dr. Luedeke told the group that he appreciated that they took the time to attend the reception. He said he had hoped friends and colleagues would stop by his office to say goodbye, instead.
"When I arrived here in August 1971, I didn’t really know how much I didn’t know," he said. "I was given a huge opportunity to find my way. I have had the really good fortune and privilege of working with some really good people."
Dr. Luedeke attributed his success to the people who work with him. He said there are virtually no achievements for which he can claim individual credit. Rather, those with whom he works have always done their jobs and found ways to get things done, he said.
"When you work with people like that, you don’t have to do much," Dr. Luedeke said.

