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Dear Friends: When the cherry blossoms begin to bloom and exam period offerings to Athena start to pile up, it’s a clear sign the academic year is coming to an end. While I’m not one to dwell on time gone by, this year, I am reflecting not just on the academic year, but also on my time serving as President of the College.

When I first addressed this community as the 9th President of Bryn Mawr in the fall of 2013, I spoke about our shared community and how “… our sense of place makes us stick with it. The promise of what we can make Bryn Mawr and our belief in the infinite potential of our community will not let us give up.”

The College has witnessed a great deal of change over the past 11 years, all the while remaining true to its core mission and redoubling efforts to uphold the belief in our infinite potential. The years have included numerous triumphs, joyous celebrations, and challenges that have pushed us in innumerable ways. Through these peaks and valleys, we have been our best when we have centered our educational mission.

At certain moments, this has meant that we have needed to delve deeper—doing more research or finding experts who could guide us. At other times, it has meant that we had to build skills—to call in, rather than to call out—or to learn to listen more deeply. Truly understanding the perspectives of others can be hard work, particularly when our own views are strongly held. Still, other times, it has meant that we needed to accept mistakes as opportunities for growth rather than as indications of failure. Learning often requires patience and giving grace to others and sometimes to ourselves.

Being a learning community brings moments of wonder and amazement. As president, I have had the pleasure to see the incredible culmination of students’ academic work, such as final projects from our 360 Program or senior thesis presentations that rival graduate-level work. I have enjoyed seeing the intellectual elegance of faculty research in campus presentations or in an autographed book that a colleague proudly delivered when it was published. I have also been lucky to see the work that our students do in partnership with staff, whether that is during campus employment or internships, in leadership roles in co-curricular activities, or through intentional mentorship.

I’ve spent most of my career at Bryn Mawr in the classroom, but my term serving as president has enabled me to view the ways that learning happens in this institution from a multitude of different perspectives. As I ready myself to return to the faculty and you prepare to welcome President-elect Wendy Cadge, I am deeply humbled and profoundly grateful to have had this opportunity. I am especially appreciative of all those who have provided guidance and support for my learning and growth over the years, from the students, to the faculty and staff, to our alumnae/i. Your input and insights have truly helped me treasure the infinite potential of our community.

With best wishes to all,

Kim Cassidy
President