Dartmouth College will soon begin a search for its new President after James E. Wright announced Monday that he will step down as President of the College in June 2009.

Wright, 68, has served as the college’s 16th president since August 1998, and has been a member of the Dartmouth faculty for nearly forty years, according to a university press release.

Like University President Drew G. Faust, Wright is a preeminent scholar of American history.

Wright began discussing his departure with Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees Chair, Charles E. Haldeman, in late fall 2007 and made his final decision over the winter vacation, according to The Dartmouth, the college’s student newspaper.

The board will discuss the search process at their March meeting, according to a letter to Dartmouth by Haldeman, and hopes to secure a successor by the time Wright leaves at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year.

Wright, who previously served as dean of Dartmouth’s faculty and then as provost, said in a letter to the community that “as much as I enjoy serving Dartmouth in my current role, I believe that every institution can benefit from periodic new leadership and fresh ideas.”

Before he steps down, Wright will strive to achieve the goals of the ongoing capital campaign, according to Haldeman’s letter, a graduate of both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School. So far, the campaign has raised more than $1 billion.

Wright also plans to implement his proposal for the Dartmouth Sophomore Summer initiative, break ground on at least three new campus buildings, and further expand the size and quality of the faculty, according to Haldeman and Wright’s letters.

“I still have some things that I really want to accomplish,” Wright told The Dartmouth. “I don’t intend to be a lame duck in any circumstance.”

Wright will not serve on the search committee for his successor, but may help the Board recruit potential candidates, according to The Dartmouth. He called on his successor to address issues of diversity at Dartmouth.

“I’m not at all satisfied that we’ve done enough,” Wright told The Dartmouth. “That will clearly be an ongoing challenge for the president.”

—Staff writer Alexandra Perloff-Giles can be reached at aperloff@fas.harvard.edu.