Walker announces plans to retire from SIUE

Rich Walker, the longtime vice chancellor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has announced his plans to retire.

He talked about his decision in a statement posted to social media late Monday.

“It is with both a bit of excitement and a touch of melancholy that I announce my decision to retire from SIUE at the end of September,” he said on LinkedIn. “Our boys are grown and the pension calculations tell me it’s time. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve this wonderful university in various roles for the past 34 years. I cherish the relationships, the conversations, and sometimes the hardships that we have shared. It has been, and will continue to be, a real privilege.”

Walker is a former city councilman in Edwardsville and a longtime, influential member of the Friends of the Wildey Theatre, which raised funds to help bring the historic theater back to life several years ago.