By Gracyn Van Bemmel
Students, faculty and staff expressed mixed feelings about the news of President Andrea Chapdelaine’s resignation, which she announced in an email on March 28.
Most students were surprised to see the email in their inbox early on a Thursday morning. “I feel like when major faculty and staff are thinking of leaving, there’s some sort of sign ahead of time,” Alyssa Peters (’26) said. “The email kind of came out very randomly.”
Ryan Kirkpatrick (’26) expressed similar thoughts, adding, “I didn’t even consider the possibility that there’d be another president while I’m an undergrad here.”
While most students weren’t expecting her departure, Chapdelaine was president for nine years, and in upper administration, moving is common.
“I kind of knew it was coming,” Zoe Finholm (’24) said. “There were whispers of it throughout the college, but that’s the life cycle of the president.”
Finholm has a unique student perspective as she participated in this year’s Chap Swap in February. Switching places with the president allowed her to better understand what it means to be a college president and the behind-the-scenes of institutional decisions. During her temporary occupation as Hood’s president for the day, Finholm gave a presidential speech, met with senior leadership and went to a budget meeting.
“I was joking with her [Chapdelaine], like, ‘Wow, you’re so busy,’ and she was like, ‘This is light work. They lessened my load because you’re here,’” Finholm said.
As of now, the college is still waiting for information from the Board of Trustees regarding the next steps that will be taken. While no plan has been released regarding who will be the interim president, there are some qualities that students and staff are looking for in the next president.
“I’m rooting for a person of color,” Asiayonna Jones (’25) said. “I want to see a person who knows how to lead. Being a leader is very difficult because you have to make decisions that other people either don’t want to make or can’t make.”
It’s also no secret that Chapdelaine was very busy with the responsibilities that come with being the president of a college. “I would like to see somebody more involved, in a way,” Morgan Kamara (’24) said. “Not to say that President Chapdelaine wasn’t. I just barely saw her.”
“I think she could have interacted more with students,” Jones said. “She went to athletic events, but what about smaller clubs? Like going to DC (Diversity Coalition) clubs and supporting marginalized communities.”
Some students have expressed similar thoughts, while others have said that Chapdelaine’s involvement in student life has been successful and sets her apart from other college presidents.
“One of the things that I thought was really cool was—when I was an incoming freshman—coming to admissions events and being able to meet the president of the college,” Peters, who now works for admissions as a Blazer Ambassador, said. “When I talk to friends at other colleges, they’re like, ‘You know your president?’”
In addition to attending athletic and admissions events, Chapdelaine also offers office hours that allow students to talk to her personally.
Many staff members shared the same initial reaction of surprise at the announcement. Because they have a closer relationship with Chapdelaine than the students and many of them have worked with her for years, their feelings were more personal and bittersweet—sad to see her go but happy for her to have this new opportunity.
“Honestly, I was—am—excited for her,” the Rev. Beth O’Malley said. “I grew up in Connecticut, and Connecticut College has a wonderful reputation. Selfishly, I think we’ve prepared her well for her next presidency. And all of us who are professors, staff and administration in higher education know senior team members aren’t around forever and ever.”
O’Malley reflected on the successes of Chapdelaine’s career and the strengths of her character. Hood College is an open campus, which means that anyone can come onto the college property. Often, people from the surrounding neighborhoods are seen walking through campus. Seeing strangers on campus can sometimes be scary for students, during a time of school shootings.
According to O’Malley, Chapdelaine is part of neighborhood organizations and gets together regularly with Hood’s neighbors to communicate to them how they can make students feel safer by just offering a friendly, “Hello,” in passing. “She really has facilitated this communication from the campus to the neighborhood and from the neighborhood to the campus,” O’Malley said.
Even though Chapdelaine’s departure will mean a big change to Hood, the Hood community shouldn’t be concerned or worried about what the next few months or the upcoming academic year will entail.
“It’s not like when she leaves we will be without guidance or leadership,” Elizabeth Gomer, who works in admissions, said.
“What Hood does well, and partly under President Chapdelaine, is the concept of shared governance,” Payton Mills, the event specialist for admissions, said. “That’s the idea that, while the president is ultimately responsible for so much, there is this idea that we also have a Board of Trustees and a senior team.”
Beyond the Board and senior team, there also exists a faculty senate, a staff council and student representation in the form of the Student Government Association.
“I have no worries or concerns,” Debbie Ricker, the vice president for academic affairs and provost, said. “Ours is a very dedicated and talented team, and we’re all focused on supporting our mission, our students and our campus community. Change can be difficult. But the Hood community is strong and will continue to thrive.”
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