After nearly 12 years of dedicated leadership, Valerie Smith, Swarthmore College’s 15th president and inaugural Roy J. and Linda G. Shanker Presidential Chair, has announced that she will conclude her tenure as president on June 30, 2027. 

Smith shared her decision with the campus community, noting that the early announcement is intended to allow time for a thoughtful and seamless transition. 

“Serving as Swarthmore’s 15th president has been one of the great privileges of my life,” Smith said. “Every day, I am reminded that, in addition to its academic excellence, Swarthmore is defined by the students whose curiosity and conviction inspire us all; the faculty whose teaching and scholarship expand the boundaries of knowledge; the staff members whose dedication sustains our shared work; and by alumni, families, and friends whose stories are living testaments to the power of a Swarthmore education.”

Smith began her presidency in 2015. Over nearly 12 years of leadership, she has expanded access to a Swarthmore education; strengthened the College’s academic mission; reaffirmed its commitment to rigorous scholarship while championing curricular innovation; broadened initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion; enhanced campus facilities and infrastructure, including the construction of the Dining and Community Commons, Singer Hall, and the reimagined Martin Hall; advanced the College’s path to carbon neutrality through the To Zero By Thirty-Five energy plan; and deepened relationships between the College and the local community and greater Philadelphia region.

In her message, Smith acknowledged the broader context facing higher education.

“These are tumultuous times,” she said. “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.”

Over the next year and a half, Smith said her focus will remain on advancing the College’s strategic priorities through Swarthmore Forward and strengthening the foundation for the institution’s next chapter.

“I look forward to continuing those efforts together,” she said. “This community has shaped me in ways I could not have imagined when I first looked out over Parrish Beach nearly 12 years ago. I hope that, in turn, I have contributed to strengthening the College for the generations who will follow.”

In a subsequent message to the community, Harold “Koof” Kalkstein ’78, chair of the Board of Managers, expressed gratitude for Smith’s service throughout her tenure. “In every setting, she has modeled integrity, intellectual curiosity, compassion, and empathy, all in service of our shared mission. Swarthmore is forever stronger thanks to Val’s leadership.”

Additionally, Kalkstein announced that incoming Board Chair Gustavo Schwed ’84 and Board member Cindi Leive ’88 will serve as co-chairs of the presidential search committee,  and that they will work with campus leadership to finalize the committee’s membership of students, faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Managers. He also affirmed the Board’s commitment to an inclusive and transparent search process that invites input from across the College community on the qualities and characteristics sought in Swarthmore’s 16th president.