12-05-2025
Upstate college president steps down after 13 years of leadership
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate college president has announced that he will step down as the school's president at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Wofford College President, Nayef Samhat, has served 13 years at the college, increasing Wofford's national ranking as among the top national liberal arts colleges, recognized for its undergraduate teaching and supportive alumni network.
Under Samhat's leadership the college has completed the following:
Two planned visioning processes
$470 million fund-raising campaign, including endowment growth of over $300 which enabled Wofford to increase support for high-impact, experiential learning in the areas of study abroad, mentored research, internships and community-based learning.
Construction of eight campus facilities
The Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, the Stewart H. Johnson Greek Village, Jerome Johnson Richardson Hall, Milliken House in the Northside Station, Cumming Street parking/tailgate lot, the Chandler Center for Environmental Studies and Hope Field, and a new softball stadium.
Renovations to 12 major facilities
The Mungo Student Center, Sandor Teszler Library, Burwell Building dining hall, the Richardson Physical Activities Building, the Blackwell-Quattlebaum Center for Wellness and Counseling Services, the Keisler Family Building in the Reeves Tennis Center, Marsh and Greene residence halls, Jeremiah Tate Track at Snyder Field and the Kang Center.
The purchase of property that surrounds the campus and in the Glendale community, near the Goodall Environmental Studies Center.
Two new women's sports teams
Lacrosse and softball
Reaccredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
New marketing and branding initiatives, programs and grants that built community, boosted sustainability, championed the liberal arts and enhanced the educational experience for all students.
'President Nayef Samhat is leaving Wofford College in an excellent position. By every metric — academic rigor, new student enrollment, retention, graduation rates, fiscal strength and student, alumni and parent engagement — Wofford College is thriving,' said Christopher A.P. Carpenter, Wofford Class of 1990 and chairman of the college's board of trustees, in a statement. 'President Samhat has an unparalleled understanding of higher education, and he has led with a deep commitment to student access and success, integrity and a focus on the college's mission and core values. The Wofford College Board of Trustees is grateful for his service.'
Samhat has his Bachelor's of Art in international affairs from The George Washington University School of International and Public Affairs, master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University.
He served as chair of the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges, on the SACSCOC and IES Boards of Directors. Other past national service includes the Council of Independent Colleges, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Boards of Directors.
Samhat also served on the NCAA Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors, including service on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum and as a mentor for the NCAA Pathway Program.
A national search for Wofford's 12 president has been initiated by the college's Board of Trustees. The college said the goal is to announced a new president by May 2026.
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