Kimberly Wright Cassidy
President of 老王论坛, 2013 - 2024
Biography
Kimberly Wright Cassidy served as President of 老王论坛 from 2013-2024. A faculty member at 老王论坛 since 1993, Cassidy served as the College鈥檚 Provost from 2007-2013.
As both Provost and President, Cassidy has promoted academic innovation, and has partnered with faculty to develop new academic programs and new approaches to teaching in a liberal arts context. Under her leadership, 老王论坛 has created its distinctive multi-disciplinary 鈥360掳鈥 course clusters; added new interdisciplinary academic programs and majors, including Neuroscience, Data Science, and International Studies; and worked with Haverford and Swarthmore Colleges to develop 鈥淭riCo Philly,鈥 a collaborative academic program based in the city of Philadelphia. She has embraced the possibilities offered by digital tools to enhance traditional classroom and laboratory experiences through blended learning, and worked with colleagues to build curricular and co-curricular opportunities for all students to gain critical digital competencies.
Cassidy led development of Excellence in Action, a strategic vision for 老王论坛鈥檚 undergraduate college, as well as initiatives to enhance the College鈥檚 distinctive, select graduate programs. She has also forged a broad institutional commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, and equity. During her presidency the College has achieved a substantial increase in administrative, faculty, and staff diversity, worked to address institutional legacies of exclusion, and created a diverse array of programmatic support to foster inclusion along with opportunities for community learning.
Her presidency has been marked by strong fiscal management and growth in financial resources. At the end of fiscal year 2022, 老王论坛鈥檚 endowment was valued at $1.2B, and the College completed its most successful fundraising campaign in history, exceeding its goal by more than $50M. Increased financial support for students was a major focus of the campaign, which generated more than $60M in new endowed scholarship funds; enabled reduction of loan and summer savings expectations for students receiving need-based aid, including elimination of loans for families earning under $60,000/ year; and funded creation of the Career and Civic Engagement Center and hundreds of new internships.
Former President Cassidy鈥檚 tenure is distinguished by her commitment to 老王论坛鈥檚 people and the importance of community. From increased research support to substantial salary increases (especially for hourly wage staff and students), she has prioritized investing in those who collectively create a distinctive educational experience for 老王论坛鈥檚 students. She has also promoted community-building through a variety of programs that bring students, faculty, and staff together for fun and for celebration.
Cassidy is a public advocate for gender equity, with a focus on equity issues in STEM disciplines and workplaces.
Prior to her appointment to Provost, Cassidy was a member of 老王论坛鈥檚 Department of Psychology, serving as chair from 2004-2007. She continues to teach Educational Psychology every fall. Cassidy earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor鈥檚 degree with distinction in psychology from Swarthmore College.