College of DuPage president to retire at end of June

College of DuPage President Brian Caputo will retire when his contract expires at the end of June after five years as the top administrator of the Glen Ellyn-based school.

The college’s board of trustees appointed Caputo as the seventh president of the state’s largest community college in 2019.

During Caputo’s tenure, the college expanded dual-credit programs with high schools, rolled out diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and recently approved a new four-year contract with full-time faculty members. Caputo also steered the college through the pandemic.

“On behalf of the board of trustees, we sincerely thank Dr. Caputo for his presidential leadership over the last five years and wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors,” COD Board Chair Christine Fenne said in an announcement of Caputo’s retirement.

The board is working to establish a timeline for what will be a nationwide presidential search, a school spokeswoman confirmed.

The specifics of the search and the formation of a presidential search committee, which will include college and community stakeholders, are forthcoming, the spokeswoman said.

Caputo came to the college in 2017 with a background in government finance. He was hired by former COD President Ann Rondeau to become the school’s vice president for administrative affairs and chief financial officer.

After Rondeau stepped down to accept a post as president of the Naval Postgraduate School in California, Caputo briefly served as COD’s interim president before the board promoted him to the permanent role. His three-year contract started July 1, 2019, and was renewed for two years from 2022 to 2024.

“During the past several months, I have carefully weighed the decision to retire as I witness the expansion of my family as well as my oldest son and his wife soon moving closer to the Chicagoland area,” Caputo said in a statement. “My wife, Karen, and I look forward to the next chapter in our lives and to devoting more time to service in our church.”

Before officially taking the reins of the college, Caputo said in 2019 that he wanted COD to become a recognized leader for art and culture in the Western suburbs. The Cleve Carney Museum of Art, housed in the school’s McAninch Arts Center, has since hosted two blockbuster exhibitions: “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” and last summer’s Andy Warhol show.

Caputo also led efforts to develop the college’s first equity plan, which, among other things, calls for inclusive, equity-based hiring and retention practices as well as the creation of a multicultural center.

The college enrolls more than 23,000 students each term.