RENSSELAER — St. Joseph's College President Robert Pastoor will resign from his post on Friday, according to an email sent to members of the campus community Tuesday.
The departure of Pastoor, who started as president two years ago, comes as St. Joe's begins its suspension of all operations for an undetermined amount of time amid financial woes that had been brewing for several years.
"His term came at a very difficult time in the 128-year history of the College, as a weakening financial base made its future precarious," stated the news release sent by Board of Trustees Chairman Ben Sponseller.
"He arrived with high hopes to reinvigorate Saint Joseph's College and soon began a process of strategic planning, enlisting help from students, faculty, staff and alumni to meet and talk about ways the College could be strengthened and its mission carried forward. Unfortunately, financial difficulties continued to mount and proposals to fix those problems were ultimately deemed unworkable, at least in a realistic time frame," the message read.
Sponseller declined an interview request.
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The board in early February voted to suspend operations shortly after Pastoor sent a message to the campus community saying the college's financial challenges were dire and it needed $100 million, with at least $20 million in commitments by June 1, to continue to serve students.