Photo courtesy of Robbie Lynch ’24
On Mar. 24 at 11:02 a.m., the Connecticut College community received an email from the Office of Communications that President Katherine Bergeron will be resigning at the end of the Spring 2023 semester. Bergeron’s resignation was promptly followed by a letter from the Board of Trustees (BoT).
Bergeron, in her letter of resignation, reflected thoughtfully on her time at the College. She noted that throughout nine and a half years in New London, the college “accomplished a great deal, from renovating our approach to the liberal arts, to transforming our campus landscape, to navigating our way through a global pandemic.” Upon her arrival, Bergeron was “moved” by the “deeply held value of inclusive education, a shared belief in hard work, and a willingness to personally engage in thorough, thoughtful discernment for the greater good.” Bergeron concluded that she has “thought hard about the events of the past weeks” and will “continue to learn from them.”
The BoT took a succinct approach to the announcement, listing ten accomplishments of the Bergeron administration throughout her tenure at the College. These included: supporting the development of the Connections curriculum, overseeing success throughout academics, athletics and the arts, fundraising, developing the Department of Institutional Equity and Inclusion, deepening the connection between the College and the broader New London community, among others. They thanked Bergeron for her “visionary leadership and steadfast commitment” to the College. The Board then shifted their attention to the future, announcing that they will begin the new presidential search by creating a committee consisting of students, faculty, and staff. They will name an interim president and have stated that they will “provide more information about the transition and the search process in the near term.”
Bergeron’s resignation comes 46 days after Dr. Rodmon King resigned from his post as Dean of Institutional Equity and Inclusion. This sparked Occupy Conn Coll 2023, a campus-wide movement that called for and culminated in Bergeron’s resignation. Between King’s decision to leave in February and Bergeron’s announcement of her departure, students, staff, faculty, and the broader Conn community protested in unison to change the College for the better, calling for Bergeron’s resignation alongside seven other demands to broaden the scope of equity and inclusion at Conn. Due to a lack of immediate action, the campus erupted in protest when 28 students occupied Fanning Hall for the fourth time in College history. The rest of the community showed their support in vast numbers, protesting throughout various spaces on campus, sharing testimonies of their experiences with the administration, and working together for the better of the College.
The College community has demonstrated the liberal arts in action during these past 46 days. While the College claims that their curriculum and other amenities are the liberal arts in action, it has quickly become apparent that this façade has a deeply flawed foundation. This period in College history continues to teach the students skills that the classroom never could, forcing every member of the community to view their place in the institution through a different lens. The College will be forever changed for the better due to the tireless work done by each contributing member of the movement, which has set a clear precedent for institutional change moving forward. While Bergeron’s resignation is a massive step in the right direction, it is now up to the BoT, along with the new administration, to begin honoring their promises to sincerely advance DIEI on campus.
