3 Presidents, 30 Years of Growth and Change

When you took the helm at Smith, what was the one initiative you most wanted to implement—and what did you learn in the process of trying to make it happen?
“I was concerned about the slow progress of women’s advancement into certain professions as well as the limitations on women’s leadership. With the encouragement of ABET, the engineering accrediting body, we created an engineering program that received widespread praise and support for both addressing the issue of women in engineering and demonstrating the continuing relevance of women’s education.”

How did the political or cultural climate of your tenure shape your leadership and decision-making at Smith?
“At this point, few will be aware of the spare circumstances for minorities in U.S. higher education at the time I became president of Smith. Integration was still in its early stages on many campuses, and full inclusion was not to be found. Further, women’s participation and leadership, while growing, was not always validated. That there were few minority presidents of leading colleges and universities created a barren landscape for mentorship by other minorities. A degree of loneliness in dealing with the demands of leadership was certainly a factor. Still, the tremendous support that I received on campus and the collegiality of an excellent board of trustees provided a useful antidote to the isolation of those years.”

How did Smith students and alums change you or inspire you to think differently?
“I am by nature a reserved person, not given to the kinds of friendships that Smithies enjoy. The ways in which Smith women reached out to others, freely offered their opinions, and boldly insisted on a path of their own choosing inspired me every day. Much of what I became as a leader can be traced back to the example that Smithies offered.”

In many ways, the liberal arts—and higher education in general—is under assault. What would you say to those who question its value in today’s world?
“The greatest source of adaptability in an ever-changing world is the study of many fields and an understanding of the unique aspects of human existence and productivity. To proceed to a future without understanding history, art, culture, society, and tools of scientific advancement is to wear blinders in the face of encounters with ever more complex challenges. We need all of what is known and what can be known to address those challenges.”

What’s an unexpected, surprising, or funny moment from your presidency that you still think about today?
“I was entertaining a major donor who might be able to fund a new campus center when I heard the doorbell. I excused myself to answer the door, only to find the space in front of the President’s House overwhelmed with scores of scantily clad students. I had not been aware that streaking to the President’s House at the end of exam period was a tradition. Fortunately, my guest, an elderly Smith alumna, was more amused than offended by the display.”

What lessons about leadership did you take from your experience as president of Smith?
“Being president of Smith taught me that the fundamentals of excellence and achievement transcend gender, race, and other categories. The point is the work, and we should never be distracted from a focus on the quality of our efforts. At the most difficult moments of my presidency, this realization gave me the fortitude needed to persist in building ambitious goals and excellent programs.”

If you could have tea with Sophia Smith today, what would you most want to ask her—or tell her—about the college she founded?
“I would thank her for the gift of an education that has led to meaningful, satisfying, and productive lives for generations of capable women who have inspired others and changed the world.”

What did being president of Smith teach you about leadership that you hadn’t anticipated before stepping into the role?
“Leading in an environment dominated by women and focused on women freed me as a leader. I became bolder and more certain of my intuitions.”

You inherited a number of big initiatives—the new engineering program, for example—that were just getting off the ground when you started your tenure. How did this influence the earliest days of your presidency?
“I arrived at Smith eager to learn about the college before settling on any new initiatives; I wanted to know what the community felt. What I discovered was how important it was to ensure that President Simmons’s initiatives succeeded—that the Picker Engineering Program, which was in its beginning years, developed and thrived; that the Praxis internship program [which guarantees a paid internship to Smith students] became part of the texture of the curriculum and life of the college. With advice from the community, we eventually focused on three initiative areas: global studies, community service, and environmental studies.”

The value of the liberal arts is being questioned by government leaders, parents, and even prospective students. What would you say to those who are unsure of its value in today’s world?
“There is so much to say in response to this misguided perception. The technological changes that have transformed our world, the medical advances, the discoveries about the universe arise from the research that occurs at places like Smith. Colleges and universities change lives.”

How did the political climate of your tenure shape your decision-making?
“Smith became even more global in the time that I was president—expanding the proportion of international students and introducing even more opportunities for global study and experience; I became more global in my thinking.”

Is there a particular Smith tradition that you still think about today?
“Mountain Day. Even though I was in on the secret, it was always, paradoxically, surprising and exhilarating.”

Smith is known for bold decisions—from the open curriculum to the geothermal project currently underway. What was the boldest decision you made as president—and how did it play out?
“Building Ford Hall across Green Street, and thus expanding the campus. It took some challenging negotiations with the city, but it changed the campus.”

Having led the college and seen the world change because of our students and alums, what does “being a Smithie” mean to you?
“Being a Smithie means carrying with you the power and warmth of the Smith community and the conviction of women’s capacity for leadership.”

Was there one initiative you wanted to tackle right away when you began as president?
“During the interview process, I learned that the admission rate was 43%, which I thought was too high. During my first month on the job, I met with Audrey Smith, vice president for enrollment, and asked her to write a white paper on what we could do to attract more students to the college. She came back with a list of possible initiatives, and I funded them all with my discretionary funds. Ten years later, in 2023, the admit rate was 19%. Audrey and her team made this happen, and I learned a powerful lesson about listening to my team and giving them agency.”

Your presidency was particularly challenged during the COVID pandemic. What do you recall of those early days of the pandemic and the decisions you had to make?
“In the early days, we all worked around the clock. The faculty learned how to teach online; the staff learned how to do their jobs remotely; and my team developed new protocols for faculty, students, and staff—from air filtration and cleaning offices and houses to food delivery. We even offered alum events online. Our community got stronger as everyone came together to support our students and one another.”

Was there ever a time when a student or alum challenged you in a way that changed your thinking?
“When members of the community called for divestment in fossil fuels, I was not supportive, because the team managing the Smith endowment believed the endowment would suffer. The student activists were enormously persuasive. They polled the students to demonstrate nearly unanimous support for divestment, they staged silent protests at numerous events, and they asked if they could present to the board of trustees. Ultimately, they convinced me and the trustees that we needed to send a strong message about climate change by divesting from fossil fuels.”

There’s often talk of “the Smithie spirit.” How would you define it?
“The Smithie spirit reflects pride in what generations of students experience each and every year: pride in their selection of a women’s college; pride in traditions, like Rally Day; and pride in the history of student activism that is an integral part of the Smith experience. Importantly, they have pride in other students—Smithies show up for one another, whether by helping someone with an assignment or attending a student performance or sporting event.”

Why does a women’s college still matter in the 21st century?
“Throughout the years, a few people have suggested to me that women’s colleges are cloisters and do not prepare women for the real world. I always reply, ‘Smith is not a cloister; it’s an intervention.’ Our students find their voice at Smith, and they use that voice once they graduate. They are changed by a college experience where women leading is normative; they learn that they, too, can be leaders.”

Do you remember a moment during your presidency when Smith students completely surprised you—in the best way?
“There were so many times. The basketball team would routinely come into the stands after a game to shake my hand and thank me for my support; Groove, an a cappella group, came to the President’s House every Halloween, while Bill and I were handing out Smith candy bars, to perform the song ‘Buttercup’; students ‘rioting’ for Mountain Day at the President’s House until I appeared on the balcony and teased them by shouting, ‘Soon!’; and students would come to office hours to thank me for their education. From the beginning, Smithies have loved their presidents, and I was the happy beneficiary of so much love during my 10 years.”