Swarthmore College is losing its president in June 2027, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Valerie Smith, 70, is leaving at the end of her current contract, which had been extended in 2024.
Smith did not indicate why she was leaving. She has served as president for 12 academic years. She announced her decision now to give the school time for “a thoughtful, seamless transition.”
She is Swarthmore College’s first African-American president.
She described serving as the college’s 15th president as “one of the great privileges of my life.”
“These are tumultuous times,” Smith wrote in a message to the campus. “Like many institutions, we are navigating new pressures, including unprecedented threats to our very mission.
“We will continue to face these challenges together, thoughtfully and deliberately. In doing so, we reaffirm Swarthmore’s enduring value.”
The college announced it is searching for Smith’s successor and has selected a search firm
Smith had been dean of Princeton University when she came to Swarthmore in July 2015. She is a scholar of African American literature and a professor of literature and English.
She guided the college through COVID-19, student protests, and funding threats from the federal government.
Read about Smith’s response to student activism on campus in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on DELCO Today in February 2026.
