After 26 years at Washington University, Vice Chancellor for Students Sharon Stahl has announced her coming retirement for the end of the academic year.

Starting at Washington University in 1988 as a part-time scholarship coordinator for the Honorary Scholars program, Stahl has served the students and faculty of the University in various capacities, from leading the Danforth Scholars program to spearheading the Mosaic Project.

Stahl chose to retire next June for a multitude of reasons but spending more time with her family, including her eight grandchildren, was high on her list.

“I told myself that I would retire before I was 70 and I’m getting very close to that. My husband is at the school of medicine and he will become professor emeritus on Jan. 1. It’s always a hard decision to make…[regarding] when is the right time to retire, but we have a daughter and family that live in Boston, so we’re looking forward to spending time with her and our grandchildren,” she said.

Stahl said that her favorite thing about being a part of Washington University for so long was working with so many students.

“It’s been rewarding to watch this place grow and change. Physically, it looks very different. In 1988 there were bright and wonderful students here and it’s 2014, and there are still bright and wonderful students here. I’ve always looked at students as the heart of the University,” Stahl said.

While many administrators expressed their sadness at seeing her go, most were happy to reflect on what she had done for the University.

Justin Carroll, associate vice chancellor for students, noted Stahl’s dedication to the students as a defining characteristic of her time at Washington University.

“What’s constant about her is her commitment to students. And her loyalty to Wash. U. is extraordinary. Students always came first for Sharon [Stahl]. It didn’t matter who they were or what their circumstances were. If there was a need for her, when she became aware of something and she thought she could help, she would drop everything and try to help that student,” Carroll said. “The thing that is constant in my mind and extraordinary is her commitment to students and her loyalty and love for Wash. U.”

Chancellor Mark Wrighton said that he had enjoyed working with Stahl over her long career—which predates his arrival at the University—and will miss her after her retirement. He added that it would be difficult to find someone to replace her, but because of her work, more people will be attracted to the University for the position.

“She is a person who has enormous patience, and I think she’s going to be a person [for whom it will be] difficult to find a successor. But Wash. U., thanks to Sharon [Stahl], has become far stronger and far more attractive. As a consequence, we expect there will be very talented people with the interest of joining us,” Wrighton said.

Provost Holden Thorp echoed this sentiment, noting that the search team for her successor would be announced by the end of next week.

“This will be an exciting search,” Thorp said. “We have some of the most exciting student services in higher education, so a lot of people will want to get this job.”

Thorp also pointed out Stahl’s accomplishments as vice chancellor during his tenure as provost and said that more projects are upcoming in Stahl’s remaining time at the University.

“She’s dealt with some challenging situations that we worked on closely, and she’s had some pretty extraordinary initiatives in terms of the Center for Diversity [and Inclusion] and [has] been a driving force in making sure that [Director for Sexual Assault and Community Health Services] Kim Webb has support on campus as well as [Title IX Coordinator] Jessica Kennedy,” Thorp said. “Sharon [Stahl] and I worked on a lot of different things together, and we’ll have some more interesting things happen this year.”

Although Stahl is retiring, she is happy to have spent her time at Washington University.

“No one could have asked for a better professional life, which also became such a huge part of my personal life. I love this place and I’m committed to it and I always will be,” Stahl said.