Lifting Up the Liberal Arts

After eight years on Smith’s board of trustees, Susan May Molineaux ’75 in July rose to a new role as board chair. Molineaux has enjoyed a storied career as a cancer researcher and innovator in drug discovery and development. She is co-founder, president, and CEO of Para Therapeutics, a biotech company in San Francisco that develops drugs targeting genes linked to cancer. Previously, she co-founded and ran two other biotechnology companies.

Molineaux succeeds Alison Overseth ’80, who served as chair since 2020, leading the board through the pandemic and investing in major initiatives, including the renovation of Neilson Library, the college’s historic no-loans policy, and the geothermal energy project. Molineaux takes the helm at a time when colleges and universities are facing numerous challenges, cuts to funding, and threats to academic freedom. As she begins her term, Molineaux discusses her vision, what drew her to the position, and whether she envisioned herself as a CEO during her college years.

What issues will be important for Smith College during your tenure?
Smith’s new strategic plan will certainly shape what Smith does in the future. The pillars of the plan focus on continuing to improve academic excellence at Smith, supporting faculty and students in the quest to make Smith graduates leaders in the world, and increasing the stature of Smith in the United States and globally.

The trustees are stewards of the institution from a long-term perspective. We oversee the endowment, support the president in budgeting and finance, and ensure that we prioritize access and financial aid for students. Those issues are always important, but they’re particularly important right now, given some of the macro-economic uncertainty in the world.

It’s a difficult time for higher education. What kinds of challenges do you anticipate?
Higher education is in a period of flux. People are rethinking the value, the cost, whether there are other ways to get credentialed, and the impact of AI on education. There are a lot of unanswered questions that are not Smith-specific but go across higher ed.

There is a demographic cliff coming. There will be fewer high school students in the United States. Colleges across the country will have to respond to that, and at the same time, make sure that everybody has the financial support it takes if they want to go to college. That’s a national conversation right now.

I think Smith is in a fantastic position. It’s a selective school. It gives a great education. We want to do our best to support women as undergraduates, to support liberal arts education, and to support access to higher education for all.

What is the relevance of Smith today, 150 years after the college’s founding?
When we were doing our search for the next president, the trustees were very clear that they wanted to continue to support the education of women with a liberal arts foundation. Critical thinking skills and the ability to articulate and communicate your thoughts are part of the liberal arts foundation.

We think everybody benefits from the liberal arts. And I say that as someone who was a biology major. While my science education at Smith was excellent, my ability to communicate, think critically, and persuade people of my point of view was way more important. That was the liberal arts side of the education.

What does it mean to you to be the chair of the board?
It means a great deal. I didn’t fully appreciate how valuable my Smith education was until I left and pursued a career—first in academics, as a biologist, and then in the corporate world, as a drug discoverer and developer. I found that my Smith education not only was excellent, broad preparation, but there was something qualitative about being at a four-year college for women that gave me a foundation of confidence that I didn’t realize I had until I left.

When I came back to reengage with Smith, which was only about 15 years ago, I was even more excited about what the school brought to its students. There was more emphasis on a very diverse population. The college had become more dynamic and inclusive. Students were even more articulate and energetic than the population I’d gone to school with.

You’ve had an extraordinary career. Did you imagine yourself as a cancer drug researcher and developer while you were at Smith?
Absolutely not. I thought I was going to medical school. When that didn’t happen, I was very fortunate to have spent time in the laboratory of biology professor Jeanne Powell. That opened up research to me, which I didn’t know much about until then. I loved working in the lab, so I decided to go to graduate school and get a Ph.D.

Eventually, I went to work in industry. I enjoyed interacting with people and looking at all points of view. I started leading projects. Anybody in science who’s good at managing people tends to rise up the ranks. Before I knew it, I was part of a founding team at a biotech company. I could never have predicted that I would be a CEO for over 20 years. That was not my life plan.

What do you say to prospective students about what makes Smith unique? 
Smith is undergraduate-focused, a small school with a strong community. If those things matter to you, Smith is a place you should look at. Both the academics and the community support I got at Smith were very important. Relationships I had with professors very much influenced me. Relationships I had with my fellow students were deep and important. I think that’s created by the size, values, and objectives of the college. It’s a great teaching institute for undergraduates. If you were to go to a larger university, you would miss that experience.

Anything else you’d like to share?
One thing I hope to see in the next five years is more alumnae engagement across the generations. We’re rethinking how to better engage the younger alums. Students in different generations have different concepts of what it means to support their school. I’d like to promote more engagement of the younger alums in any way I can. I think everybody will get a lot out of it.

I love all the feedback that I’ve gotten from students, faculty, and administrators during my years on the board. I loved the chance to talk to people when we were doing the presidential search, because I headed that committee. I hope in the next five years I get to interact even more with all of the constituents at Smith. The experience is so uplifting. The people are so incredible. It’s just a fabulous community.