Katherine Bergeron awarded title of president emerita
Connecticut College’s Board of Trustees has unanimously approved a resolution awarding President Katherine Bergeron the title of president emerita in recognition of her exceptional service during her nearly decade-long tenure.
The honor, enacted during the Board’s spring meeting on campus May 19-20, places Bergeron among Conn’s several other president emeriti, including her predecessor, Leo I. Higdon, Jr., and Katharine Blunt, the institution’s first female president. Bergeron leaves office June 30 and the president emerita title becomes effective July 1.
The resolution detailed several areas in which Bergeron, Conn’s 11th president, excelled after her arrival at Conn in 2014.
“President Bergeron has served with integrity, purpose, passion and an unwavering commitment to the values and mission of Connecticut College,” said Board Chair Debo P. Adegbile ’91. “She imbued the College with a spirit of intellectual curiosity and a desire for the continual pursuit of excellence in all aspects of the campus community.”
Specifically, the resolution pointed to Bergeron’s involvement in developing and launching many new initiatives at Conn, including the College’s distinctive Connections curriculum, the Athletic Department’s Action Plan for Competitive Success and Conn’s inaugural membership in the Liberal Arts College Racial and Equity Leadership Alliance.
The resolution also noted how Bergeron’s efforts impacted the campus’s physical space with the renovation of Palmer Auditorium into the Athey Center for Performance and Research, the restoration of the Kohn Waterfront and Archibald Way along the Thames River, the renovation of Fanning Hall to improve accessibility and house the Hale Center for Career Development, the repurposing of the ground floor of Blaustein Humanities Center to create the Walter Commons for Global Study & Engagement, and the implementation of the College’s first campus-wide sustainability plan.
Finally, the resolution praised Bergeron’s talents for fundraising. Trustee Pamela D. Zilly ’75, a former chair who led the search committee that selected Bergeron, said, “Katherine developed and led the Defy Boundaries Campaign beginning in 2017, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of the College, securing numerous major gifts through her inspiring vision, thoughtful stewardship, and ability to invite support for her unwavering belief in the College.”
In her final letter to the College, appearing in the summer edition of CC Magazine, Bergeron credited the entire Conn community for their roles in strengthening the College over the past decade.
“None of this would be possible, of course, without your ongoing and generous support,” she wrote, thanking the alumni for their monetary and other support of Conn’s growth and evolution.
Further, Bergeron praised the faculty and student body, citing Conn’s 50 Fulbright Fellows in the past decade, four Watson Fellows in the last three years, two Beinecke scholars in the last two years and the first Marshall Scholar in College history.
Finally, she noted the College’s increasing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and full participation. In particular, she cited the reinvigorated connection between Conn and the city of New London, the largest cohort of Posse scholars on campus, the creation of the College’s first Division of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, and the launch of the Gund Dialogue Project.
The Board concluded the resolution by stating, “We, the members for the Board of Trustees of Connecticut College, commend and honor Katherine Bergeron for her extraordinary tenure and extend our deepest appreciation for her tireless commitment and service to Connecticut College.”
