A Message from President
Bloom to the Swarthmore Community

As shared in letters sent to the Swarthmore community on May 9, 2008

I have announced to the Board of Managers and the on-campus community my intention to conclude my tenure as president of the College on August 31, 2009, and want to share that decision with you. I have held the dream job in American education for 17 years, and every moment of this time has confirmed my conviction that Swarthmore is the finest undergraduate institution anywhere. The College is distinctive for its mission, centered at once in analytic rigor, ethical intelligence, and broader concern for the conditions of humanity; distinctive for its enduring power to deliver on that mission; and distinctive for the remarkable community of the Board, faculty, students, staff, alumni, and families who sustain it. It is a deeply satisfying privilege to work on its behalf.

A year ago, I invited you to participate in our current planning effort by sharing your vision for Swarthmore in the year 2020. Eight working groups studied and debated the challenges the College is most likely to face, and the opportunities it might embrace, over the decades ahead. My aim in making a decision now is that my successor can be in place to help translate the results of this planning effort into specific priorities for the College's future and prepare a campaign to enable us to meet them. I also believe this is the right time for me to embark on the next stage of my career.

In the coming weeks, the Board will form a multi-constituent committee to lead the search process. I know they will have your support. I thank you for the encouragement and confidence you have extended to me and for the care you invest in Swarthmore. I look forward to another year together building on the excellence of this extraordinary institution.

President Bloom's Biography | President Bloom's Public Addresses