Letter: Other schools have female presidents

I was delighted to see that the IBJ covered the new female president at IU [“IU names Pamela Whitten of Kennesaw State University its new president,” April 16, IBJ.com].

It’s important that we are celebrating opportunities in diversity, equity and inclusion, and I was pleased to see that Pamela Whitten’s accomplishments were well-noted and highlighted in the article. I’m sure that Indiana University will benefit from her leadership.

However, I was disappointed to see that your article suggested that there were only three Indiana colleges and universities who are currently under female leadership. Noticeably, you neglected to mention Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, who has been under female leadership since 1997 (and for what it is worth, has had a woman at the helm for all but 25 of its 177-year history.)

Dr. Katie Conboy, the current Saint Mary’s president, has already made an indelible mark on the college community since her inauguration in June of 2020. Her strategic plan was launched and implemented within months of her inauguration—no small feat during a global pandemic. Her communications with alumnae and sincere focus on the success of the student body have already made a tangible impact on the college, something which I expect to resonate far into the future, especially as we consider the core areas of her 10-year strategic plan.

A quick Google search also proved other Indiana institutions who are under female leadership and I think it’s important to mention some of them here to give them like-minded credit: St. Mary’s of the Woods College, Earlham College and Calumet College of St. Joseph. I’m quite certain that there are others.

Thank you for the opportunity to shine a light on other women leaders who are making a difference around the state of Indiana. Please ensure that future publications demonstrate due diligence of celebrating all of our female leaders who contribute to academic institutions and their local communities.

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Meganne Brezina
Saint Mary’s College Alumnae Association Board of Directors

Editor’s note: The list of female college presidents that ran with the story at IBJ.com represented Indiana’s public schools but did not initially say that. The story and list were corrected shortly to add the qualifier “public” after the original story posted.