President Valerie Smith shared the following message with the campus community on March 6, 2025:

Dear Friends,

I write with the sad news that former vice president for finance and treasurer Suzanne Painter Welsh died peacefully on Friday, Feb. 28, surrounded by her family. She was 71.

Sue’s work ethic, integrity, and high standards served as a model for many who encountered her. She is remembered for the deep knowledge and care that she dedicated to the College and its mission for more than 30 years. 

Sue is survived by Robert E. Welsh, her husband of 45 years; children Emily Gottenborg (Drew), Liza Pingree (Tim), Mary Bostick (Andrew), and Joseph Welsh (Rachel); and 10 grandchildren.

A service will take place on Saturday, March 15, at 11 a.m., at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, where Sue was a church elder. A reception will follow on campus at Clothier Memorial Hall in Upper Tarble from noon to 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, and in recognition of Sue’s passions for Swarthmore and Philadelphia, education, women's rights, and the environment, the family welcomes donations to a charity of your choice in her honor.

I invite you to read more below about Sue and her many contributions to our community. 

Sincerely,

Val Smith
President

In Honor of Former Vice President Suzanne P. Welsh

Former vice president for finance and treasurer Suzanne P. Welsh died on Friday, Feb. 28, at 71. With her passing, the Swarthmore community has lost one of its most trusted and dedicated stewards. 

“Sue played a pivotal role in advancing the vitality and growth of the College,” says Chair of the Board of Managers Koof Kalkstein ’78. “She very ably managed the College’s finances, in both calm and turbulent periods. With integrity and levelheadedness, she guided the College as it increased the resources devoted to infrastructure and financial aid, and to curricular development as well as faculty compensation. And those who had the privilege of working with Sue can attest to her personal warmth and commitment to the College.”

“There are really no words to express the incredible respect and admiration I have for Sue,” says Assistant Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness Robin Shores, who worked closely with Welsh for 11 years prior to her retirement. “To this day, when I have a difficult problem, I ask myself, ‘What would Sue do?’ The answer is usually something about having a good perspective, dealing with things head on, treating people with respect, and trusting that it'll all work out.”

“Sue also was one of the most personable and kindest people I encountered when I first came onto the Board,” says Emerita Manager Rhonda Resnick Cohen ’76. “No matter how serious a situation or how much work was on her plate, she never appeared stressed and never lost her cool.”

Raised in Havertown, Pa., Welsh attended Haverford High School, where she worked on the school newspaper and was valedictorian of her class. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa and with high honors from the University of Delaware with a B.A. in mathematics and a B.S. in accounting before earning an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Welsh spent six years in corporate finance and accounting, including as a senior financial analyst for Du Pont Co., before coming to Swarthmore in 1983 after responding to a chance sighting of an ad for a part-time position. In 1989, she was named treasurer and, in 2002, added vice president for finance to her title.

“Sue was one of the most thoughtful, generous, and giving people I’ve ever known,” says Manager Tom Spock ’78, whose father, Bill Spock ’51, hired Welsh when he served as the College’s vice president for business and finance. “We were just so lucky to have her as a leader, and as a friend.”

Indeed, Welsh steered the College through the Great Recession, during which the College’s endowment experienced an almost 30 percent drop amid a global financial crisis. While taking corrective measures, the College still maintained its financial aid commitments, averted layoffs, and protected the endowment for the future. 

“From the budget to the endowment, our debt structure, and beyond, Sue kept all the plates spinning like a magician,” Spock says. How fitting, he adds, that an award in her name is given biannually to an “outstanding” College staff member.

The Suzanne P. Welsh Award was established in 2011 and recognizes the essential role that all staff members play in the success of the College and in the lives of Swarthmore students. 

“Sue was the consummate professional,” says Emerita Manager Jane Lang ’67, whose father, Eugene Lang ’38, H’81, established the award. “She was unfailingly calm and gracious, and responded thoughtfully to questions from the simplest to the most sophisticated. To read the criteria for the award — integrity, dedication, initiative, and excellence — is to appreciate the quintessential qualities that Sue brought to the table.” 

A longtime Swarthmore resident, Welsh also helped steward the William Penn Foundation, whose investment committee she chaired, and served on the Pension Managers Advisory Committee to the New York Stock Exchange Board of Directors. In retirement, she also served on the College’s Investment Committee and the board of the Foundation for Delaware County, and chaired the investment committee and served on the board of the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

“Sue was a calm, trusted, and steady hand at Swarthmore,” says longtime Manager Salem Shuchman ’84. “She approached conversations with students, staff, faculty, and Board members equally with respect and patience. Sue also always asked good questions. She just contributed so much to our community.”