To: The Wellesley College Community
From: Paula Johnson
Re: A note about Yurij Pawluk
Date: August 22, 2016

It is with mixed feelings that I announce the decision of Yurij Pawluk, Wellesley president’s chief of staff, to leave the College and return to New York on September 2. While I am happy that Yurij will return to the opportunities he wishes to pursue, I also know that he will be missed here on campus.

Yurij let me know of his intention to leave when I first took office. I thank him for agreeing to stay on through my first few months, and I am grateful for all his efforts, which have helped make my transition such a smooth one.

I thank Yurij, too, for his many contributions to Wellesley over his tenure at the College. First and foremost, Yurij served as a close and trusted advisor to President Bottomly—she and the senior leadership team have relied on Yurij’s ongoing support of the College’s strategic planning across a variety of issues. His role in leading Wellesley through a communitywide conversation about gender two years ago was critical to its successful conclusion and the announcement of Wellesley’s new admission policy in March 2015. Yurij increased financial efficiencies in the President’s Office, provided oversight to the President’s Office initiatives and operations, and reinvigorated our annual charitable giving campaign. He has also worked to renew Wellesley’s sense of community, partnering with the leadership of the Administrative Council, the Agenda Committee of Academic Council, and College Government to plan collegewide events and facilitate dialogues on important issues facing the College.

Please join me in wishing Yurij the very best as he transitions to the next phase of his career. We look forward to seeing him at home games cheering for the Blue in the years to come.