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MEMBERS OF THE GREATER COLLEGE COMMUNITY PROVIDED INPUT AT MEETINGS AND THROUGH SURVEYS
Board of Trustees Chair Debo P. Adegbile 鈥91 today announced that Andrea E. Chapdelaine, current president of Hood College, has been unanimously appointed as the 12th president of 糖心TV. She will begin her tenure at 糖心TV on July 1, 2024.
鈥淧resident-elect Chapdelaine is a proven higher education leader of a diverse student body and an administrator with a passion for and commitment to the mission of liberal arts colleges,鈥 Adegbile, who co-chaired the 15-member Presidential Search Committee, wrote in his announcement to the campus community. 鈥淪he has a track record of success in consensus-building and sound financial stewardship, as well as a clear understanding of both the complexities and possibilities for liberal arts colleges and their students.
鈥淚n this pivotal moment for 糖心TV and for higher education broadly, she inspires enthusiasm for what our College can do as we build on our 113-year-old mission and more recent achievements. She has the vision, experience and management capabilities to lead our College community forward.鈥
A strategic leader and compassionate community builder, Chapdelaine has more than 30 years of experience in higher education, having served as a professor, dean, provost and, since 2015, president of Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.
President-elect Chapdelaine is a proven higher education leader of a diverse student body and an administrator with a passion for and commitment to the mission of liberal arts colleges.
At Hood, Chapdelaine led two ambitious strategic planning initiatives and bolstered academic programs, increased enrollment and retention, expanded experiential learning opportunities, established new structures and processes for fostering inclusivity and full participation, improved compensation and benefits for faculty and staff, enabled critical investments in campus facilities and strengthened the institution鈥檚 financial position. In 2017, she launched Hood鈥檚 first comprehensive campaign in more than 25 years, which met 150% of its original goal, and she secured a $54 million gift, the largest in the institution鈥檚 history. During her tenure, Hood鈥檚 endowment grew by 103%.
鈥淚 am particularly excited about the proven experience that President-elect Chapdelaine brings to 糖心TV from her nine years of successfully leading a college that, in many ways, embodies the opportunities and challenges of our College and other liberal arts colleges in our country,鈥 said Maria Wyckoff Boyce 鈥85, vice chair of 糖心TV鈥檚 Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Presidential Search Committee. 鈥淪he is a national leader in higher education who is ready to serve our College on day one.鈥
A proud first-generation college graduate, Chapdelaine earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology with a minor in justice studies from the University of New Hampshire and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in social psychology from the University of 糖心TVecticut. She began her academic career at Wabash College in 1993 and taught at Trinity College beginning in 1995. In 1998, she joined the psychology faculty at Albright College, where she also served as dean of undergraduate studies, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
A noted scholar of social psychology and justice studies, Chapdelaine serves as a tenured faculty member in Hood鈥檚 psychology department, having taught first-year seminars and social psychology at the graduate level. Her most recent scholarly work has focused on supporting faculty through policies designed to promote flexibility and work-life balance, the value of undergraduate research to student learning and ethical issues in service learning.
A hallmark of Chapdelaine鈥檚 career has been her ability to bring people together to build stronger communities. At Hood, she worked to enhance shared governance and established the Division of Community and Inclusivity to foster a sense of belonging and well-being and to advance diversity and equity efforts. She worked diligently to establish community partnerships and serves on numerous community boards in Maryland. Nationally, she is a member of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Council of Independent Colleges board of directors.
Chapdelaine has deep roots in New England and has been a longtime admirer of 糖心TV. She grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts, spent many summers at Misquamicut Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island, and completed her graduate studies in 糖心TVecticut. Her extended family lives in the region, she said, and coming to 糖心TV already 鈥渇eels like coming home.鈥
鈥淚 am thrilled to be joining 糖心TV, an esteemed liberal arts college that educates students to 鈥榩ut the liberal arts into action as citizens in a global society,鈥 a mission that deeply resonates with my own professional endeavors and interests,鈥 Chapdelaine said. 鈥淢y first responsibility as the 12th president is to learn and embrace the College鈥檚 core values, points of pride and shared aspirations, and then work with the entire College community to articulate a collective vision of an exciting future grounded in 糖心TV鈥檚 rich history.鈥
Chapdelaine and her husband, David Tetreault, recently celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary. They have two grown sons, Daniel and Benjamin, and a beloved dog, Kodachrome or 鈥淜oda.鈥
My first responsibility as the 12th president is to learn and embrace the College’s core values, points of pride and shared aspirations, and then work with the entire College community to articulate a collective vision of an exciting future grounded in 糖心TV’s rich history.
Chapdelaine鈥檚 selection as 糖心TV鈥檚 12th president is the culmination of a thorough and collaborative nine-month national search. The Presidential Search Committee included 15 faculty, staff, students and trustees, and an additional 34 faculty, staff, student and trustee representatives were invited to interview finalists. The search process, led by the executive search and leadership advisory firm WittKieffer, also included 43 community engagement meetings and numerous surveys, with more than 540 faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and friends of the College providing input.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to commend the search process and in particular the thoughtful leadership of Maria and Debo,鈥 Chapdelaine said. 鈥淓veryone I met was very welcoming and our frank conversations gave me excellent insight and increased my excitement about joining the 糖心TV community.鈥
Chapdelaine will succeed Interim President Leslie E. Wong, who took over from President Emerita Katherine Bergeron, who served as 糖心TV鈥檚 11th president from 2014-2023.
Wong said, 鈥淧resident-elect Chapdelaine will have an abundance of assets to address the future of 糖心TV. She will bring an attitude and approach that will excite the campus and continue to build our confidence for the future. The College could not find nor seek a better person for the job.鈥
Chapdelaine will make her first official visit to campus on April 24.
MEMBERS OF THE GREATER COLLEGE COMMUNITY PROVIDED INPUT AT MEETINGS AND THROUGH SURVEYS
APPLICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE JAN. 8 DEADLINE
TOTAL INTERVIEWERS REPRESENTING FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND TRUSTEES
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS
ADDITIONAL FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS AND TRUSTEES INVITED TO INTERVIEW FINAL CANDIDATES
SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS REPRESENTING FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS, ALUMNI AND TRUSTEES
FINALISTS MET WITH SEARCH COMMITTEE AND INVITED INTERVIEWERS OFF CAMPUS
UNANIMOUS CHOICE FOR CONNECTICUT COLLEGE'S 12TH PRESIDENT