FARMVILLE — Ruth S. Murphy has announced her retirement as President of Fuqua School effective at the end of the 2014-15 academic year.

The school’s board of directors has begun the search process to find a new president who will take the reins effective August of 2015.

“It has been my honor and privilege to serve as President of Fuqua School for the past 20 years,” Murphy writes in an April 24 letter to the Fuqua School Community.

Reflecting on the past two decades, Murphy states, “we have worked together to create a learning environment that celebrates each student’s boundless individual potential, a school that reflects warmth and openness while challenging its students to achieve to their fullest.”

In a letter of his own to the Fuqua School community, board of directors chairman, Robert M. Showalter describes Murphy as “a leader deeply committed to all aspects of school life and charged with the task of transforming J. B. Fuqua’s vision of educational excellence into reality.”

He praises Murphy for working “tirelessly to restructure the school’s organizational design, its programs, and system of management. She welcomed the involvement of teachers, parents, and students in the development of our inspired mission and the school’s engaging, friendly atmosphere. She attracted talented, dedicated teachers who worked with her to create an outstanding academic program that challenges the diverse needs of our students.”

Showalter also highlighted Murphy’s community service on the board of directors of such organizations as the Moton Museum, the United Way of Prince Edward County, and the Wilson Center for Leadership in the Public Interest at Hampden-Sydney College.

“We are blessed to have had Ruth Murphy’s creative leadership and long-term commitment to ensuring that our students receive an excellent education and that Fuqua School is well-positioned for future success,” Showalter writes.

For her part, Murphy declared, “Fuqua School will forever be such a special part of my life. I treasure the time we spent together and will watch with great anticipation from my home in North Carolina as we continue to make Fuqua School the very best it can be.”

The school’s search committee to find Murphy’s successor will be chaired by board member Sarah Elam Puckett.