From the President

A letter from President Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D.

It’s a beautiful spring day as I write to you. Tempel Green is filled with students—such a carefree and heartwarming scene!

This spring has been a season of celebration. It was an honor to join with our community for the recent Inauguration events, an occasion filled with gratitude and joy. Just a few weeks later, we came together to mark Commencement for the Class of 2025. And shortly after that, we celebrated the “zeros” and the “fives” at Reunion Weekend, including the 50th Reunion for the Class of 1975. These milestones demonstrate the enduring strength of our institution and the connections between our past, present and future.

We are living through a liminal moment in higher education—demographic shifts, financial pressures, changes in public perceptions and increased governmental oversight are reshaping the institutional and societal landscape in which colleges must now operate. These daunting challenges are especially difficult as the value of a liberal arts education is increasingly questioned.

And yet, every day, I witness something extraordinary here on campus. As president, I have a front-row seat to the very best of Conn—not just during moments of ceremony, but in the quiet power of daily campus life. The energy, creativity and care that define this community fill me with purpose and hope. As I told our graduating Class of 2025, “A grateful heart is a happy heart.” I am grateful every day to lead a college deeply rooted in connection between people, our central purpose as a liberal arts college and our home on the hill.

I recently listened to an episode of Reach. Teach. Talk., a podcast hosted by educator and Trustee Nat Damon ’93. He brought together five Class of ’93 alumni—now heads of independent schools—for a conversation about the impact of their Connecticut College education. Their message was clear: A liberal arts education doesn’t just prepare you for a career, it also shapes you as a leader. In their work, they lead with empathy, integrity and a strong sense of community—values they trace back to their time at Conn and the connections they formed with peers, faculty and staff, as well as the ideas and experiences that guided and inspired them.

That conversation amply demonstrates that a Conn education is more than simply talking about connection—it’s living it. In classrooms and residence halls, in research labs and studios, on playing fields and performance stages, Conn students, faculty and staff are actively connecting through collaborative inquiry, exploration, creativity and engagement. It is evident in our faculty and staff who teach with purpose, and in our alumni who continue to invest their time, talent and generosity to safeguard Conn’s future. Coupled with our distinctive and integrative Connections curriculum, we embody what historian William Cronon describes as liberal arts in action: “being able to see connections that allow one to make sense of the world and act within it in creative ways.” 

In order to sustain this place of connections, our path forward will require unwavering commitment and bold action. We must strengthen our financial foundation, invest in faculty and staff, and pursue initiatives that foster a culture of belonging—where every person feels seen, heard and valued. We’re doing all of this to meet the needs of tomorrow while holding fast to the liberal arts values that have defined us for more than a century.

I firmly believe that this is the moment to move from challenge to opportunity. One day, a member of the Conn community may study this moment and give it a name. Perhaps it will be known as the Era of Reconnection—a time when we rediscovered the power of shared purpose to fulfill our mission. As I mentioned in my inaugural address, this work cannot happen in isolation. I invite all of us to connect and to embrace what makes Conn extraordinary: the relationships that empower us and the values that unite us.

Thank you for your continued belief in Conn and in what we will build together. It is a privilege to serve as your president. Please join me in looking forward with appreciation, optimism and unwavering hope.

With gratitude,

Andrea E. Chapdelaine, Ph.D.