Dear Members of the Swarthmore Community, 

As a new academic year gets underway, and the campus once again springs to life, we wanted to provide a brief update on the search for Swarthmore’s next president. 

Since we last wrote to you in June to share the leadership profile for the next president, we’ve been working with our partners at Isaacson, Miller to recruit a highly talented and diverse pool of candidates. We’re pleased to report that those efforts are going well. Interest in serving as Swarthmore’s 16th president is strong, and we are excited by the quality of the candidate pool taking shape. That interest is a testament to all of you who play a role in making Swarthmore such an exceptional place to learn, work, and live.

We recognize how important this search is to our community and understand the desire to know what comes next. The process remains on schedule; the committee expects to begin interviewing candidates this fall, and we plan to name Swarthmore’s next president by early 2027. As we shared at last spring’s listening sessions, the search is confidential, and thus the committee cannot disclose the names of potential leaders under consideration. This is a common best practice and is critical to attracting the strongest pool of candidates. 

Our goal is to identify an exceptional leader who is deeply committed to the College’s mission, and who brings the vision, excitement, energy, and collaborative spirit needed to lead Swarthmore into the future.

Hundreds of alumni, students, faculty, and staff members provided input during the listening phase of the search — through both survey responses and 23 in-person and virtual listening sessions. That feedback has been crucial in shaping a strong and compelling candidate profile, and it will continue to inform the committee’s work as we deliberate this fall. If you have questions about the search or additional thoughts, please reach out to presidentsearch@swarthmore.edu.

We are grateful for your engagement and look forward to sharing further updates this fall.

Sincerely, 

Cindi Leive ’88 and Gus Schwed ’84, co-chairs, on behalf of the Presidential Search Committee:

Bill Boulding ’77, Board of Managers
David Bradley ’75, H’11, Board of Managers
Erin Todd Bronchetti, Professor of Economics
Isthier Chaudhury, Director of Admissions
Julian Chen ’28
Logan Grider, Associate Professor of Art
Chung Sze Kwok ’27
Lucy Lang ’03, Board of Managers
Nicole O'Dell Odim ’88, Board of Managers
Kathryn Riley ’10, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Jim Sailer ’90, Alumni Council President
Anne Schuchat ’80, H’05, Board of Managers
Carolyn Vance, Facilities Work Order Manager