The Associated Press

OWENSBORO - The past 10 years that Wes Poling has been president of Kentucky Wesleyan College have been filled with successes, such as the tripling of the school's endowment and the construction of a new student center.

But Poling leaves June 30, at a time when enrollment is at a 10-year low. Only 614 students were enrolled at the private Methodist college in fall 2003.

"If we had 850 students, then I could leave on a higher note," said Poling, 59, who will be director of capital giving for the graduate school at Yale University. "I've pushed the rock up the hill. It's time for someone else to push the rock."

Succeeding Poling is Anne Federlein, president of Ohio State University at Newark and Central Ohio Technical College.

If Poling's elusive enrollment goal is met in years to come, it will be because of what he has done for the college, board of trustees member David Hocker said.

"He's positioned us to really move forward in the 21st century," Hocker said. "Constructionwise, we've done more to improve the campus in the last 10 years than in any other 10-year term. We just had to reposition ourselves from a physical standpoint, and our new president will be able to take advantage of the seeds planted by Poling."

Ground has also been broken for a new science center.

That is being funded from a capital campaign launched in 1997 that brought in $23.7 million for new buildings and scholarships.

"I remember coming on campus as a kid," said Buxton Johnson, a physics professor. "The facilities were kind of run down. We're getting more things that a college should have."

College spokeswoman Kathryn Farmer said the endowment has increased to $26 million from $8 million during Poling's tenure. Alumni giving averaged $412,200 in his first five years and now averages $1.2 million, Farmer said.

Still, enrollment has dropped in six of the past 10 years. The biggest decline came in 2000 when 678 students enrolled, down from 744 from the previous fall.