June 16, 2021

Dear Members of the Connecticut College Community,

I am writing to let you know that Pamela Dumas Serfes, Vice President for Communications, has informed me that she plans to retire from her position this summer. Her last day will be July 16.
 
Pamela came to Connecticut College in 2012 as the Director of Advancement Communications and was promoted to the role of Vice President in 2014. She has overseen a host of important initiatives since that time, including the redesign of the College website; the restyling of the CC Magazine into an award-winning print and digital publication; the development of new protocols for crisis communications; the expansion of social media channels for athletics; and the creation of countless signature materials for admission and advancement.
 
During her tenure, Connecticut College’s publications have been recognized with six Circle of Excellence awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE): a silver award for the 2016 redesign of the CC magazine; a silver award for the winter 2017 cover, “The Dance”; a gold award for the summer 2017 cover, “Birth of the Cool”; a bronze award for the winter 2019 cover, “Lost in My Life”; and two grand gold awards, one for a feature in the winter 2020 issue, “This Hard Land,” by Amy Martin, and another for the College’s admitted student campaign in spring 2020.
 
Of course, the role of Communications was never more important than during the past 15 months, as we sought to advise students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni about the changing circumstances of a global pandemic. Pamela and her team were invaluable partners, creating and maintaining a large suite of tools to keep the community informed. Not to mention the large-scale media productions that stood in for major rituals such as Commencement, Convocation, and Fall Weekend. This period showed us above all the depth and breadth of Pamela’s loyalty and commitment to Connecticut College, for which I will always remain grateful.
 
We are now beginning the process of finding a successor. You will hear in the coming weeks about the search as well as about who will serve in an interim capacity.
 
Finally, we are planning a gathering on campus on June 28 to celebrate Pamela’s contributions to the College. Until then, please join me in thanking her and wishing her well in her next endeavors.

Yours,
 
Katherine Bergeron
President