Longtime Hawaii Pacific University President Chatt G. Wright plans to retire 16 months from now and has asked the Board of Trustees to begin a search for his successor.

Wright told the HPU board of his plans Friday, according to an E-mail obtained by The Honolulu Advertiser.
“I made this decision with full confidence in the current state of HPU and complete optimism about HPU’s path into the 21st century,” Wright wrote. “Together, we have accomplished some remarkable things and created an institution where staff and faculty can make a difference every day; an institution that is a vital element of the community and an essential ingredient in our state’s future.”
When Wright joined what was then called Hawaii Pacific College in 1972 as business dean, the college was a speck on Hawaii’s higher education map.
Today, HPU boasts a $115 million annual budget, more than 50 undergraduate and graduate programs, and 8,000 students from 110 countries on three campuses.