Marcia Latta, DePauw's vice president for Advancement, told President Casey and her staff Tuesday that she will be leaving at the end of the calendar year. Latta joined the DePauw administration in January 2011.
Latta's decision comes at a critical time during DePauw's capital campaign funding project. The largest campaign since 1992, it is meant to fund the wealth of projects on campus now and in the future. The campaign is currently in the quiet phase - a preemptive stage - meaning the university is contacting and meeting with donors but has not announced any figures to the public.
The capital campaign is focused on raising funds for student scholarship, development of academic programs, student engagement and future renovations on campus with the Lilly Center and the Union Building, said President Brian Casey.
Jason Petrovich '93, the executive director of Development, will take on some of Latta's responsibilities as the interim vice president for development while the university searches for a new candidate. Latta will work mostly from her home in Ohio, continuing to reach out to donors during the remainder of her time at DePauw.
Latta told Casey that her decision to leave is part of her desire to be back with her family in Ohio. Latta's husband, Bob Latta, is a United States Representative for the state and works in Ohio and Washington, D.C. For the past two years, Latta has been commuting to Greencastle weekly.
"It's a case where I love my family deeply," she said. "I miss seeing my husband on a more regular basis."
Casey said he and Latta had been discussing this for a few weeks and decided that if she was going to leave, it would work best to announce it at the beginning of the academic year.
Latta did express great faith in her colleagues in carrying on the capital campaign and her other large project, DePauw's 175th anniversary year celebration.
She said that she had the "good fortune of being able to hire some excellent people on staff to work on these efforts, and I feel very good about people we have.
Casey also expressed trust in the staff.
"It was clear I could turn to Jason Petrovich," he said.
Latta took over the position in 2011 from Christopher Wells, DePauw's current spokesman who was serving in an interim capacity. She joined DePauw after serving as the vice president for the Bowling Green State University Foundation since 2006.
Casey was grateful when speaking about Latta's contribution to DePauw, noting her energy and particularly her organization of alumni records.
Latta expressed her gratitude for the university and spoke glowingly about her time at DePauw.
"I have loved my time at DPU," Latta said. "It is a wonderful place at DePauw with interesting very accomplished alumni."
- Ellen Kobe contributed to this article.