Smith College president announces plans to step down in 2023
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NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — Smith College President Kathleen McCartney said Friday she plans to step down in June 2023 after 10 years at the helm, becoming the latest leader of a high-profile Massachusetts college to announce plans to leave their position.
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AP News
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — Smith College President Kathleen McCartney said Friday she plans to step down in June 2023 after 10 years at the helm, becoming the latest leader of a high-profile Massachusetts college to announce plans to leave their position.

McCartney, appointed in 2013, in a message to the college community said “there is still more work to do together to reach our aspirations to become need-blind in college admission, to equalize the student experience, and to realize our full vision in career development.”

She did not disclose her future plans.

She will focus the remainder of her term on the school’s strategic priorities, the women’s college said in a statement.

McCartney said one of her priorities was making the college more accessible and affordable, which the school has done by expanding financial aid funding by 58% and eliminating loans from financial aid packages.

She brought new academic programming, sustainability initiatives to address climate change, and made the school a more inclusive and equitable campus amid a national racial reckoning.

The search for the school’s next president will start in the spring. Smith has about 2,600 students.

The presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University and Amherst College have also recently announced plans to step down.