It’s hard to imagine that there are many jobs for which a former investment banker and an experienced professor of music are equally qualified. Yet, in testament to the versatility of the liberal arts, these two paths intersect as Leo Ignatius Higdon, Jr. steps down from the Connecticut College Presidency and Katherine Bergeron, Dean of the College, Professor of Music and Chief Academic Officer for Undergraduate Education at Brown University, assumes the role.
“I spent a little over twenty years on Wall Street, and I’ve spent literally the same amount of time in higher education — almost to the month,” reflected Higdon. “A sum total of a career that spans maybe forty-two years. I’m over 67 now, and naturally, there’s a point to step down.” Higdon’s career is not only extensive, but expansive, as well. Armed with a B.A. in history from Georgetown University, Higdon spent two years in the Peace Corps before enrolling at the University of Chicago where he earned an M.B.A. in finance. He went on to work at Salomon Brothers for two decades before taking the plunge into academia, first as Dean of the Graduate Business School at the University of Virginia, then as President of Babson College, President of the College of Charleston and finally, President of Connecticut College.
“There are people who find it hard to move back and separate from everything that comes with a leadership position,” Higdon said. “For me, it’s not so much the ‘power,’ but more of the honor and the privilege. You want to be sensitive to overstaying your welcome, and I feel like I’m stepping down at the right time.”
For Higdon, the “right time” comes at the end of a highly successful capital campaign and the realization of numerous physical improvements to the campus, such as the renovation of New London Hall. Other projects initiated under President Higdon’s leadership, such as the transformation of Shain Library, will come to fruition in the early months of Bergeron’s term.
Connecticut College formally welcomed President-elect Bergeron at an introduction ceremony held in Palmer Auditorium last Thursday, where students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered to hear Bergeron speak about her upcoming role as President of Connecticut College. Bergeron cited Conn’s history as a progressive, forward-thinking institution, and later that evening at an SGA open forum, told a group of students that the “student-centered education” evident at Conn was at the heart of her agenda.
“[Connecticut College] was created for a new century,” Bergeron said in an exclusive interview with the Voice. “It was created with the future always in view. I’m happy to be in a place with this modern view. Thinking about the future is just as important as looking to the past.”
A native of Old Lyme and a graduate of Wesleyan, Bergeron said that it feels “marvelous” to make this transition to a Liberal Arts college. During the SGA open forum, she confidently stated that she saw no weaknesses in the world of liberal arts education.
“I think one of the things that we think about in liberal arts education is the way that it will affect you for the rest of your life. Things that you achieve in college — new learning that you develop — is the foundation for a whole series of things in your future that will continue to enrich you long after the facts have been forgotten,” Bergeron said. “There’s a quality of education that persists.”
One could say that Bergeron has come full circle as she assumes her new role as President of Connecticut College. “I do feel that there is a way in which the trajectory of my own career, now to this point, is a validation of that very fact: of how an incredibly mind-bending education in the liberal arts at Wesleyan in the ’70s has continued to help me think creatively about education in all of these spheres that leads me to a place that is really quite unique in its own forward-thinking approach to liberal education,” Bergeron said.
Bergeron graduated from Wesleyan with a B.A. in music before receiving her master’s and doctoral degrees in musicology from Cornell University. A strong believer in the power of great educators, Bergeron taught for multiple years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tufts University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Brown University before assuming the role of Department Chair at Brown in 2005 and Dean of the College in 2006. How might a former music professor’s skills be advantageous as she prepares to accept the role of president?
“Musicians tend to be system thinkers,” Bergeron said. “The theoretical dimension of music allows one to really understand complexity. There’s also a social dimension: having a leadership role means that you are working with large groups of people and organizing them toward very particular goals.”
Looking at her career trajectory and the transformative work she accomplished at Brown, Bergeron’s strong leadership skills are evident. When making their decision, the Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Pam Zilly ’75, Chair of the Board of Trustees, saw far more in Bergeron than just a capable leader.
“Most importantly, she embodies the infinite possibilities of a liberal arts education,” said Zilly. “An undergraduate music major, a Ph.D. in Musicology, a performer, a professor, a chair of a department, a dean of an Ivy League research institution, and now President of Connecticut College with the necessary creativity, administrative and leadership skills to run a college.”
Anyone who has met Bergeron can attest to her friendliness and her spirit. “On a personal level, she is warm and engaging, an imaginative and inspiring presence whose career has been spent interacting with students and providing a better learning and residential experience,” said Zilly.
In the few months before she takes office, Bergeron plans to have many conversations with faculty, staff, administration and students to prepare for the transition. “It’s really critical for a president to listen and be open to the community that she has just entered, and to fully embrace that community,” Bergeron said. “I think when you are fresh and new in a position, you are not coming with necessarily preconceived notions of what this place could or should be. I’m interested in seeing what’s here, and building on the foundation — building on the potential of the future.”
“Everybody builds on their predecessor’s record,” agreed President Higdon, thinking back to his own start here in 2006. “The foundation is here, but the work is never over. Institutions are dynamic places, always moving forward. Do we want to continue to make [Connecticut College] as affirming, equitable and diverse community as it should be? Of course — every president wants to take up that charge and continue to do more.”
Higdon went on to say that not one thing, nor several things, is the pride of his presidency. Rather, the shift in attitude and how we see ourselves — as a college that “can legitimately compete with the premier residential liberal arts colleges in the land” — is what he considers to be perhaps his greatest accomplishment as president.
Bergeron is eager to expand the “very good work” that President Higdon has done to strengthen the College’s programs, specifically in the academic and international areas of the school. She believes that we have the potential to make our interdisciplinary centers, a distinctive part of Conn, a “greater signature of the Connecticut College degree.” Bergeron also praises the Career Enhancing Life Skills (CELS) program as “way ahead of its time” and “enviable.”
Right now, Bergeron is focused on learning everything she can about the school from books and resources to speaking with as many people as possible, and said at the SGA forum that she will have more concrete plans to give at her inauguration speech. That said, she is excited to work on progressing already strong programs, such as sustainability, and is impressed by the history of environmental science and the long-standing strength in the arts at Conn. “There is a greater potential to see where they can all connect,” she added.
Bergeron’s plans fit seamlessly with the Presidential Search Committee’s hopes for the eleventh president. According to Zilly, “President-elect Bergeron embodies the qualities and experience we were seeking — the ability to collaboratively lead the College community in discussions and decisions regarding its strategic priorities, a commitment to the faculty and students in providing excellent and innovative pedagogy, a commitment to the importance of diversity and inclusiveness on campus, an engaged presence in the residential community of the College and clarity in communication as a compelling advocate of liberal arts education and Connecticut College.”
President Higdon’s presence on campus expands beyond the doors of his office in Fanning Hall. Whether jogging through campus at ungodly hours (7 AM) or hosting student groups at his Williams Street residence, the President has become a staple of the college community, and his absence on campus will not go unnoticed. So how can we expect Bergeron to fill President Higdon’s shoes, not just as an administrative leader, but as a community figure?
“I’m a walker,” laughed Bergeron. “You will definitely see me walking across campus every day, both directions; I will look forward to participating in all of the wonderful events going on on campus: both sports events and arts events.” Bergeron also expressed wanting to keep open hours, giving any student the opportunity to speak with her directly. “It’s important to have an open door whenever possible,” she said.
According to Erica Lovett ’14 and Tim Kast ’14, the two student members of the Presidential Search Committee, getting to know our new president shouldn’t be too hard. The two described her as “friendly,” “quirky” and even a bit “edgy.” “She brings a new element to the position,” said Kast.
Lovett recalled an anecdote Bergeron shared during one of their meetings about a coat that the President-elect purchased in 1993. On account of the coat’s length, students at Brown have taken to calling it her “cape,” a nickname that Lovett alluded to in her speech at Bergeron’s welcome ceremony. Lovett also assured us that, come January, we can expect to see the “cape” flapping across the top of Tempel Green, which Bergeron referenced as her favorite place on campus.
Lovett and Kast described their involvement on the Presidential Search Committee as “shared governance at its finest.”
“Everyone else either has a Ph.D., is a very successful businessperson or has done something incredible with their lives,” Kast said of the committee’s members. However, despite the achievements of the professors, trustees and staff on the committee, Kast described his and Lovett’s role in the search as “very active.”
“We had a vote,” agreed Lovett. “We were very much a part of the whole process.”
When the Voice asked President Higdon to relay a piece of advice to President-elect Bergeron, his response was a kind, but resounding, no: “She’s experienced, skilled and adept. Very adept. She doesn’t need my advice at all.” While the job title may not change, the role of presidency at Connecticut College adapts with each new leader to address the ever-changing needs of the College, and to reflect each president’s unique understanding of the position. As we welcome Conn’s eleventh president, we can expect transformation alongside transition, and for doors to open — in Fanning Hall and student experience, alike.
