Susan Georgia Nugent was the 20th president of Illinois Wesleyan University. She was president of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from 2003 to 2013, and interim president of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio for the 2015-16 academic year.[1] She was succeeded at Kenyon by Sean M. Decatur, former dean of Arts and Sciences at Oberlin College, and at Wooster by Sarah Bolton, former dean of Williams College. In November of 2019, Nugent became the first woman to serve as President of Illinois Wesleyan University. On April 10th it was announced that Sheahon Zenger would succeed her role as president in the 24-25 school year.

S. Georgia Nugent
20th President of Illinois Wesleyan University
In office
November 2019 – July 1, 2024
Preceded byEric R. Jensen
Succeeded bySheahon Zenger
Interim President of the College of Wooster
In office
July 1, 2015 – June 30, 2016
Preceded byGrant Cornwell
Succeeded bySarah Bolton
18th President of Kenyon College
In office
2003–2013
Preceded byRobert A. Oden
Succeeded bySean M. Decatur
Personal details
Born
Susan Georgia Nugent

New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
SpouseThomas Scherer
Alma materPrinceton University (BA)
Cornell University (PhD)
ProfessionProfessor
WebsiteOffice of the President

Early career

edit

Nugent was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended Princeton University, from which she graduated cum laude in 1973. She earned a Ph.D. in classics from Cornell University and taught at Swarthmore College, Princeton, and Brown University. Her academic speciality, reflected in numerous publications, was epic poetry and Greek tragedy. She returned to the classics department at Princeton in 1992 and also worked in the university's administration for a decade, including as associate provost and, later, as dean of the McGraw Center.[2]

College President

edit

Nugent became Kenyon College's 18th president and first female president in 2003.[2] As president, she oversaw the construction of the $70 million Kenyon Athletic Center (KAC), and undertook the largest capital campaign in the college's 188-year history. President Nugent was an outspoken supporter of the Amethyst Initiative, which she co-authored with 8 other presidents of American colleges and universities in 2008.[3]

On President's Day, S. Georgia Nugent often switched roles with a Kenyon student who went to faculty and staff meetings while she attended class, visited professors during their office hours and ate meals at the campus dining hall. President Nugent chose the student through a contest that asked students why they wanted to be President for a day.[citation needed]

After leaving Kenyon, she joined the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) as a senior fellow to lead their Campaign for the Liberal Arts.[4]

In August 2019, S. Georgia Nugent became Illinois Wesleyan University's Interim President for the 2019-2020 academic year. The university's 19th President Eric Jensen announced in May 2019 that he will be stepping down [1] after four years with the university. He also announced his subsequent retirement from higher education.

On November 14, 2019, Nugent was selected as the 20th and first female president of Illinois Wesleyan University. [2]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Georgia Nugent named interim president of The College of Wooster | The College of Wooster". www.wooster.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-05-07.
  2. ^ a b Kenyon College | Office of the President | Biography "Biography - About Kenyon - Kenyon College". Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved 2009-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Amethyst Initiative "中古コピー機の価格に問題あり". Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved 2010-05-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ The Council of Independent Colleges, fall 2012 newsletter "CIC Launches Campaign for the Liberal Arts; Selects Georgia Nugent to Lead Campaign - Fall 2012". Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved 2014-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)