Heritage University to announce new president Wednesday

TOPPENISH, Wash. — Heritage University will announce the naming of its new president today.

Michael Moore, vice president of advancement, said more than 100 people across the nation applied for the post. The person selected will begin in the summer of 2010.

The university’s new president will replace Sister Kathleen Ross, who announced her plans to step down last March.

In 1982, Ross founded Heritage, located just west of Toppenish on the 1.2 million-acre Yakama reservation, where poverty is high and opportunity slim. Roughly 85 percent of students are low-income and the first in their families to attend college.

Under Ross’ watch, what began as a two-year school was transformed into a university offering advanced degrees and the recent construction of a $15 million, 3,500-square-foot science lab. 

Instead of retiring, Ross plans to begin a national institution on campus geared to help students similar to those at Heritage earn degrees.

She has not shared too much about her project because plans were still being discussed. But she had said it will include partnerships with other colleges and universities to attract and retain students.

Heritage University is a private, four-year liberal arts university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition to the main campus in Toppenish, Heritage has regional sites in Moses Lake, Wenatchee, Tri-Cities, south Seattle and Yakima.