Susan Kress named Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Susan A. Kress, a professor of English literature and a member of the Skidmore faculty for 32 years, has been appointed vice president for academic affairs at the College, following a national search. Kress had been serving as interim vice president of academic affairs since June and will assume the regular position immediately.
In announcing the appointment, President Philip A. Glotzbach commented, “Susan Kress demonstrates precisely the model of excellence to which we want the members of our faculty to aspire – that of a teacher-scholar-citizen. The College has benefited from her wisdom and leadership during the past seven months, as she has served in an interim capacity, and I am truly excited about the progress the College will make under her leadership as Skidmore’s chief academic officer. I am grateful for Susan’s willingness to stand as an internal candidate and, more importantly, to serve Skidmore in this vitally important role.”
Suzanne Corbet Thomas ’62, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, echoed Glotzbach’s enthusiasm for the appointment. “Members of the board have known Susan and her work as a faculty member for many years. Most recently we have been impressed with the way she has stepped in as interim vice president and demonstrated her superb leadership. The board unanimously endorses this appointment. We see Susan as a visionary academic leader and look forward to working with her in the years ahead.”
Kress, who received her Ph.D. from Cambridge University in England, is a noted literary scholar and feminist. Her book Carolyn G. Heilbrun, Feminist in a Tenured Position, was issued in a second edition in 2006. A distinguished teacher, Kress was the first Skidmore professor appointed to the Class of 1948 Chair for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to chairing Skidmore’s English Department on two occasions, Kress has been active on numerous governance and other committees. Nationally, she is a past president and current member of the Association of Departments of English, a division of the Modern Language Association dedicated to the education and training of chairs of college and university English departments. Kress has been sought frequently as an external reviewer by colleges and universities conducting reviews of their English departments.
“I am deeply honored by this news—and humbled by the confidence that my faculty and administrative colleagues have shown in me. Skidmore has a long and rich history marked by excellence; I am pleased for the opportunity to do my part to lead the College’s academic area at a very exciting moment in our history,” said Kress.
Glotzbach praised the work of the search committee, which was co-chaired by Professor of Economics Mehmet Odekon. “This search committee worked tirelessly over the past seven months and brought forward a candidate who was widely and warmly embraced by her faculty colleagues. I want to thank publicly all members of the committee, as well as Tobie van der Vorm from Academic Search Consultants, for their work in bringing the search to a successful conclusion.”
