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Leo I. Higdon, Jr., became the tenth president of Connecticut College on July 1, 2006, after serving as president of the College of Charleston and Babson College, and as dean of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.

 

A strong advocate of liberal arts education as the best preparation for life and career, Higdon was a Peace Corps volunteer and an investment banker with Salomon Brothers before becoming a leader in higher education. 

 

Higdon leverages his business acumen and higher education expertise to distinguish Connecticut College among premier liberal arts colleges nationwide. During his first year as President, Connecticut College increased its endowment by more than $30 million to $225 million, produced five Fulbright Award winners, achieved a record number of applications for admission and began a $53 million campus renewal plan.

 

During the current 2007-2008 academic year, Higdon has overseen an enhanced financial aid program, announced the college will build a new fitness center by fall of 2009 and launched a new Science Leaders program to help attract and retain underrepresented students in the sciences. 

 

Higdon earned a bachelor's degree in history from Georgetown University and an M.B.A in finance from the University of Chicago. He is a member of the boards of directors of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Eaton Vance Corp. and HealthSouth Corp. His past board affiliations include Georgetown University, Mt. Holyoke College, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and several major corporations. He has written and published widely on higher education and business. Higdon and his wife Ann have four grown children.

 

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