Lt. Gen. John W. Rosa, Jr. Class of 1973 “I am extremely honored to be selected as the Citadel’s next president and I sincerely appreciate The Citadel Board of Visitors’ vote of confidence in me,” Rosa said of his appointment. “Donna and I are excited about the prospects of returning to Charleston and taking on the challenges of running this great institution.”
“It goes without saying, however, that – pending my release from active duty -- we will truly miss the outstanding men and women of our Air Force family with whom we’ve had the privilege to serve for more than 32 years.
"But, it’s time to move on and I can’t think of a better place to begin the next chapter in our lives than in Charleston and at my alma mater.”
Rosa, 53, took over as superintendent of the Air Force Academy in July of 2003.
A command pilot with more than 3600 flying hours, Rosa was commissioned in the Air Force in 1973 after graduating from The Citadel with a B.S. in business administration. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Golden State University and has completed programs at Harvard, the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the Air Command and Staff College.
Board of Visitors Chairman Billy Jenkinson praised Rosa’s credentials. “With his first-hand knowledge of the college and his vast leadership experience, John Rosa is the ideal person to be our next president,” Jenkinson said.
Rosa’s selection as president concludes a process that began in February shortly after Major General John Grinalds announced that he would step down. Tennessee businessman Bill Sansom chaired the search committee which worked with Academic Search Consultation Service to narrow the field of 77 candidates down to six finalists.
“The process worked exceedingly well thanks to the thorough efforts of the search committee,” Jenkinson said. “We talked with some excellent candidates who brought many strengths to the table.”
Grinalds will leave The Citadel on August 1. The Board of Visitors has named Brigadier General Cliff Poole, a business professor and former vice president for academic affairs, to serve as interim president.