William Cotter, Colby College’s longest-tenured president, dies at age 87
Colby College
William R. Cotter served as Colby's 18th president from 1979 to 2000.
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William "Bill" Cotter, Colby's College's longest-serving president, who guided the Waterville school through unprecedented growth and change from his appointment in 1979 until he retired in 2000, died March 9 on his 87th birthday.
“President Cotter will forever be remembered for his remarkable accomplishments,” said President David A. Greene in an announcement by the college. “He was undoubtedly one of Colby’s all-time great leaders, having transformed the college into a national model of excellence.
"He was fearless in his work, driven by a steady moral compass and an unshakeable belief in the power of education to improve lives and the world."
Greene also said Cotter "was a humanitarian at heart and in his work ... . And he was a teacher in both words and actions, whether it was about the U.S. judicial system, the fight for civil rights and progress, or what it means to live a good and purposeful life.”
During his 21-year tenure, the college's endowment grew from $23 million to over $300 million, which allowed the college to invest in new research areas. He expanded the Miller Library and led the construction of the F. W. Olin Science Center, Collins Observatory, Lunder House, two residence halls, and a new student center named after him. He also oversaw the construction of the Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz, which opened in 1996.
Cotter, who was Colby's 18th president, also led efforts to diversify the student body and faculty and implemented new programs, such as African-American studies, East Asian studies, Jewish studies and women’s studies. Students who identified as people of color increased from 4% of the student body when Cotter arrived to 14% when he departed. The number of tenure-track faculty who identified as people of color went from 3% to 16%. Also, women tenure-track faculty members grew from 17% to 39%.
In Waterville and across Maine, Cotter was active in civic and cultural life. He founded the Midcoast Economic Development Corp. and established a loan fund to recruit downtown businesses. He also helped turn vacant downtown businesses into art and community centers. He served on the state economic task force and as a member of the Portland Museum of Art advisory council.
After he retired in 2000, Cotter instructed students about the Supreme Court at the Pierian Springs Academy in Florida and served as president of the Oak Foundation, an international organization that addresses global, social and environmental issues.
Cotter attended Harvard College and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1961. After earning his law degree, he was an MIT Fellow in Africa, working as assistant attorney general in northern Nigeria.
He worked for a New York law firm and as a White House Fellow as a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Cotter spent three years as a Ford Foundation representative in Colombia and Venezuela. The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation to advance human welfare. Before becoming president of Colby, he was president of the African-American Institute, a New York-based private organization.
Cotter and his late wife of 61 years, Linda, raised their three children, David, Elizabeth (Liz), and Deborah, in Waterville. After his retirement from Colby, the couple lived in Concord, Mass. Daughter Liz Cotter Schlax is president and CEO of the United Way of Southern Maine.
“I feel a tremendous sense of sadness but am so grateful for the legacy that he leaves,” said Jane Powers, chairperson of the Colby Board of Trustees. “He made a major impact on Colby and on so many of us as individuals. He was a leader of integrity and principle and a man of extraordinary intelligence. We all have enormous respect and affection for Bill, as a past president of Colby and a truly valuable life trustee.”
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