During an event with this fall’s first-year class, Swarthmore College President Valerie Smith shared that her recent sabbatical allowed her to focus her attention and reminded her of what first drew her to a career in academia. She also observed that her leave gave her time to “reflect on life at Swarthmore and why I continue to feel so proud to be part of this community.” So proud, in fact, that Smith has agreed to extend her current contract through June 2027. It was set to conclude at the end of this academic year.

Board Chair Harold “Koof” Kalkstein ’78 announced the contract extension in a message to the community, writing that Smith’s empathy, compassion, curiosity, and unwavering commitment to the College’s mission “have already left an indelible mark on our institution.”

“Her inspirational leadership and belief in the power of liberal arts education make her the ideal person to continue to guide us forward in our collective pursuit of the next, best version of Swarthmore College,” Kalkstein said.

Since becoming president in July 2015, Smith has prioritized attracting more low-income and first-generation students; supported faculty innovation in the curriculum; overseen increasing the diversity of the student body; and managed several senior management transitions, including the hiring of the College’s inaugural vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Smith led the College’s largest-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, Changing Lives, Changing the World, raising more than $440 million for initiatives that expanded access to a Swarthmore education for students from underserved and underrepresented backgrounds; increased support for faculty research and development; and strengthened learning opportunities both on campus and beyond the classroom.

Smith has also supported sustainability efforts like the College's ambitious energy plan, To Zero By Thirty-Five, which will enable the College to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. She’s leading a transformative era of new and updated spaces on campus — from the recently completed Dining and Community Commons project to the reimagining of Martin Hall as an interdisciplinary technological center.

Smith recently laid out her vision for Swarthmore’s future in Swarthmore Forward — the College’s new strategic plan.

“I had the honor of speaking at Val's inauguration in 2015, and I described that moment as a new beginning — as Val leading us into a future 'bursting with ideas and energy, with optimism and confidence,'" said Tom Spock '78, a current member of the Board of Managers who served as the Board chair when Smith began her tenure as president. “Since then, Val has strengthened the College in immeasurable ways, and her enthusiasm, passion, and vision for Swarthmore make me even more excited and confident about our future today than I was then.”

Smith said she recognizes that higher education, like society more broadly, is in the midst of a turbulent period.

“But the challenges we face only underscore my faith in the Swarthmore community’s shared endeavor — our collective belief that access to and the dissemination of knowledge and truth can lead to a better world,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue that journey together.”

Smith is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bates College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Virginia. Previously, she was a professor of English and African American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Woodrow Wilson Professor of Literature, founding director of the Center for African American Studies, and dean of the college at Princeton University.

A scholar of African American literature, Smith is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the American Council on Education, the Bogliasco Foundation, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Public Service Enterprise Group, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This year, she was awarded the Benjamin Chandler Legacy Award from the Benjamin Mays Black Alumni Society of Bates College and named an Honorary Fellow of Harris Manchester College at Oxford University.

Reflecting on nearly 10 years as president of the College, Smith views the role as a “profound privilege.”

“Every day, I'm inspired by how our community members harness their curiosity and creativity to explore new ideas, make new discoveries, and bring innovation to life.”