<p>Here's an excellent recent interview with President Carol Christ on the general benefits of women's colleges and specifically on what Smith offers:</p>
<p>HIGHER</a> EDUCATION TODAY - Women's Colleges - YouTube</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>What a fabulous interview. What a fabulous leader. I hung on
every word. Long term Cal background - Wow!</p>
<p>Thanks for posting.</p>
<p>.02 David</p>
<p>Loved it!! Thanks for posting the link.</p>
<p>I think she’s a wonderful college president, and Smith is very lucky to have her (and to keep her). Doesn’t mean she hasn’t made decisions that I didn’t like. But she’s made those hard decisions, and moved on boldly.</p>
<p>Mini-- I was impressed as per ^^-- what were the controversial decisions?</p>
<p>Thanks David</p>
<p>Among many were the closing (later opening, but with restricted hours) of the dedicated music/theater library, and getting rid of college chaplains, just to name two.</p>
<p>Correct me if I’m wrong on any of this, but she also built the LEEDS-certified Ford Hall for engineering and the sciences, made some changes in the Ada Comstock program, closed a small number of houses to conserve energy costs, and successfully navigated the whole 2008-9 financial meltdown which impacted the college’s investments and endowment. As mini suggested above, when the college’s financial situation improved, some cuts were cautiously reinstated.</p>
<p>bn12gg, I’m glad you enjoyed her interview.</p>
<p>CarolynB-- One reason I was impressed was the ease with which she
articulated the Smith College mission-- undergrad education, and her mission
“fund raising but also friend raising.” – a neat concept! </p>
<p>Question for you-- Have any of your President’s experiences spending decades
at Cal, a big time flagship research driven institution, impacted Smith College in
ways that might be different than those at other LAC’s where presidents don’t
have her background. For example, does she press faculty to generate external
grants, top tier publication etc more than a president with just LAC experience.??</p>
<p>FWIW-- I have existed/and exist in her previous academic world.</p>
<p>.02 David</p>
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<p>I too admire Carol’s leadership, however, she was not involved in investment decisions nor should she receive credit for Smith’s unprecedented endowment returns. Alice Handy and her associates at Investure, the firm she founded, were (with oversight from Smith’s Director of Investments and the Board Of Trustee Investment Committee) responsible for Smith’s exceptional endowment returns. Middlebury, Barnard, Trinity and the other institutions that are members of the consortium were also beneficiaries of Alice’s investment prowess.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, Ruth Constantine, Vice President for Finance & Administration, was instrumental in recruiting Alice. Smith was Alice’s first client.</p>
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<p>Not exactly. Due to an avalanche of protests, the proposal to relocate the Josten Library to Neilson was abated and Josten remained open, albeit with reduced hours.</p>
<p>There was very little dissent when the elimination of the chaplains was announced. I didn’t agree with the decision, but needless to say the Smith community did not concur with my view.</p>
<p>Thanks, CrewDad, for the clarifications. When I said Christ had navigated the financial meltdown, I meant to say that she figured out a successful course of action for Smith to take in response to the crisis, not to imply that she had actually made decisions regarding the investments.</p>
<p>^^
My error. I now understand your point. Well taken. </p>
<p>I thought you were referring to the fact Smith’s endowment did exceedingly well (relative to other colleges’ endowments) during the market downturn.</p>
<p>I should learn not to read posts well past midnight.</p>