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Goshen College Athletics Fans and Friends:

As many of you have heard, I recently accepted a position within the development office at Goshen College, and will be stepping down as athletic director in the coming weeks. I first want to say that the last seven years have been a truly remarkable time for me, as I have thoroughly enjoyed working with and watching our student-athletes perform in the capacity of athletic director.

I am also extremely excited about the opportunity that my new position will provide, as Goshen College has instituted a comprehensive campaign that will surely better our campus in a variety of ways. I have been very impressed with the planning of this campaign. It is clear that our institution is willing to invest to make things go. In working within this new position, I feel I’ll have a direct impact on a variety of people, programs and places here at Goshen College. It will be exciting to see how this work will benefit the entire campus. I believe this new comprehensive campaign will provide things that everyone here will see.

Of course, this was still an extremely difficult decision to arrive to, as I’ve had 17 years of working as an athletic director at both the high school and college levels. When I left college, one of my goals was to coach and then become an A.D. Since then, I’ve really enjoyed watching big athletic events come off like clockwork, and I’ve enjoyed the organizational piece of things. Being an athletic director has also given me the unique ability to work closely with both student-athletes and coaches, without being directly involved with the pressures of winning and preparing specific game strategies.

I have done this for a lot of years, however, and being an athletic director is truly a job without an off-season. There’s a constant element of getting ready for the next thing, and that aspect of the position can be wearisome. I am happy with where our athletic department is at on a variety of levels, and I will continue to have a direct connection to our sport programs and the Maple Leafs Athletic Club through my new position on campus.

The opportunity to work full-time in the development office came at a time in my life where I felt like it was something I could do. Sometimes change is invigorating. This is a great opportunity for me to continue to help my alma matter strive to do bigger and better things. I think it is a great opportunity for me. It’s something that I think I will really enjoy.

Being a leader in the realm of athletics will always be in my heart, and I’m sure I will see many friends and colleagues at Goshen College athletic events in the years to come. This really isn’t a goodbye of any sort, it’s simply a change of office location.

I really feel like this is a good thing for all involved. The college is making a clear investment here. I am very pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish in our athletic department and I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with great people. I want to thank all those individuals for their loyalty and dedication. I have a great deal of faith in their abilities and I am certain that they will continue to do great things as they work with Goshen College student-athletes.

Thanks so much, to everyone who has been involved with Goshen College athletics!

Sincerely,

Ken Pletcher
Goshen College Athletic Director
Maple Leafs Athletic Club Board Member