Union College in Schenectady has named its new president, the first female in the role in the campus’ 230-year history.
Elizabeth Kiss will become Union’s 20th president on July 1st. Kiss succeeds David Harris, who is stepping down after seven years.
The 63-year-old is a New York City native and former Rhodes Scholar who spent 12 years as president of Agnes Scott College in Atlanta. The philosopher has led the Rhodes Trust for the past seven years.
WAMC's Lucas Willard spoke with Kiss to learn more about her background and goals for the private liberal arts college.
So, I am a New Yorker by birth. So, daughter of Hungarian refugees. I grew up in the Bronx and went to P.S.-56. So, coming to Union is coming back to New York, which is which is great. And I then went to college in North Carolina, to Davidson College, another wonderful liberal arts college, and I was fortunate enough to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar from Davidson, so I did my graduate work in Oxford, which is also where I met my husband, Jeff Holzgrefe, who is an Aussie. So, we met in Oxford, and my career has been so I taught at Princeton, taught at a couple of other places as well. And then, for 10 years, was the founding director of an ethics institute at Duke, The Kenan Institute for Ethics, which coincidentally is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week. So that's kind of fun. It's a great week. And then I was president of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, for 12 years, and then seven years ago, came to Oxford, back to Oxford to lead the Rhodes Trust. So, I'm a philosopher by training and now I'm going to be starting at Union College.
So why Schenectady? Why Union? What attracted you to this job?
Yeah, so, you know, I was really keen to come back to the U.S., and I just love liberal arts colleges. I think they're uniquely American institutions, and they do, I mean, I'm the product of one. I just love how they create this platform for young people and a really wonderful campus culture and community. And then I fell absolutely in love with Union from the very beginning of the search process. And I guess it has to do with a lot of things. It has to do with…it is such an innovative school. I mean, from the get go, like it was one of the very first schools in America to teach modern languages and natural sciences, and then started an engineering school. So, as I think about what a liberal arts education should look like in the 21st century, that span from the humanities and arts to engineering and computer science, is really exciting to me. It's a beautiful campus. I love the fact that a third of the students are varsity athletes. So, it's, you know, it's got a really good vibe and energy. And then both Jeff and I just loved Schenectady. It's a city with a very proud history, but it was just so cool to see everything that's going on there, the kind of the new restaurants and the new, you know, shops and everything. So, it also gave us a sense of returning to, well, for me, returning to New York, but also being a part of a community that's on the move.
So, private liberal arts colleges, in particular, are facing financial challenges. Union is not too far from, where I'm speaking to you from Albany, where the College of Saint Rose closed last year. But Union also completed a very significant capital campaign just a couple of years ago, and has been strong in its fundraising. But, what are you particularly concerned about when it comes to the educational landscape and the fiscal challenges that private liberal arts colleges like Union College may be experiencing?
Yes, so it is. It's a challenging time for small liberal arts colleges, for sure. As you say, union is, you know, the envy of a lot of colleges. I mean, it's, it's got a really strong endowment has done extremely well under President David Harris's leadership, in its fundraising, and a really energized alumni community. It comes down to, I think, and this is what I'm very excited to work with faculty and staff and trustees on, is, how do we take the kind of ‘secret sauce’ that is a union education and elevate it? Make it more bold, more visible, because it is a case of like, communicating that value proposition to students and prospective applicants and their families. And, you know, I was involved in that kind of work at Agnes Scott, another liberal arts college, a women's liberal arts college. And so, I know, you know how energizing it can be to work across a campus community, to think, ‘OK, we've got so many great things going on. How do we make them more visible, to our marketplace, to prospective students?’
What are some of the other roles that you find particularly important for a college president, beyond the fundraising and beyond the marketing aspects, if you will, of higher ed. What do you think it takes to be a well seen and a well appreciated college president by the students and the staff?
Sure, well, it's actually part of what I love about the role, is that you do get to engage with students, with faculty, with staff. Before the public announcement today, I had the chance to meet with the faculty executive council, with the staff council, with the student government, and also with the senior leadership team. And you know, it's all those people, and, of course, people all across campus, you know, it's important to be visible, to learn from people, to be a community builder and I look forward to that. I enjoy that work, but also with alumni and parents. I mean, that's the beauty of a campus community, is that there are so many stakeholders. And, you know, you can laugh that like every one of those stakeholders thinks they're the most important, but they're all really important! So, engaging all of those stakeholders is very important. And I find it quite energizing. And then the other piece, which I've already spoken to President David Harris, about is getting involved in Schenectady. Because I do think that, especially under his leadership, the partnership between Union College and the City of Schenectady has been really mutually beneficial and valuable. I mean, I'm excited about the new ice hockey rink, arena. I'm and also just excited to explore other ways in which the college can be a good citizen and a partner in in Schenectady and in the region. And then, I guess the last thing is, I do think this is a time when higher education leaders need to articulate the value of academic freedom, of freedom of speech, of building an inclusive community, of bringing young people together. You know, I love the vision statement for Union College, of developing every student to lead with wisdom, empathy and courage. Those are really important values for the present moment, and so I hope that I will also have opportunities in collaboration with other people across higher ed to stand up for and champion those values.
How do you feel about some of the most recent executive actions from President Trump, with regards to DEI and withholding federal funding and/or his pause, his freeze on federal grants and loans, including research funding? What do you think and how will you approach these challenges?
Sure. So, you know, I think it's, it is one of the great assets of the United States that it has a higher education system that is the envy of the world. Students around the world want to come to the United States to study, and that's because it has created, Americans have had the freedom to create these vibrant college and university communities that are inclusive, that bring students from all backgrounds together to learn from each other, to become citizens in community with each other. So, I feel really strongly about those values of inclusion, and I also feel very strongly about the value of research and the importance of research funding for the future, not only of colleges and universities, this is about the future of American competitiveness. This is about how we will continue as a country to excel in a very competitive global society and economy. So, I'm not starting till July so I still have a lot to learn about Union, but I really hope that I will have a chance, you know, as I say, in collaboration with others to champion the value of support for research and of support for building inclusive learning communities that prepare young people for citizenship in the United States and beyond.
With the changes in Washington, though, does being a college president require a kind of new flexibility, if you will? Is there a need to sort of anticipate something that may not be able to be anticipated?
Right. Well, the world always throws you curveballs, right? So, you know, I was a college president at Agnes Scott when the recession happened, the ‘08 recession, which, you know, certainly hugely impacted every college and university and, of course, every business and every organization. And I was warden of Rhodes House when COVID hit. So, I think it's it comes with the territory that you you do have to respond to the challenges of what's happening in the world. But I think you know, across all three of those, I would say it's really important to be clear about your fundamental values. What is your mission? What are the fundamental values of, what is the fundamental value of higher education? And to work with your trustees, with your faculty and staff and alumni, to stand up for those. So, you know, it's not it's never boring, and there's always unexpected challenges. But I think it's precisely in in a challenging time that it's most important to try to instantiate and to stand up for your core values.
Well, Elizabeth, thank you so much for taking the time. I appreciate it. Anything else that you're looking forward to as you prepare for your arrival in Schenectady?
Yes, absolutely. So, you know, I'm really looking forward to getting to know the region as well. I mean, Jeff and I have traveled around the Adirondacks and the Berkshires, it's such a beautiful part of the world. So very much looking forward to that. And I'm an avid hiker, so I'm hoping to be able to tackle some of the 46ers in the Adirondacks. So that's something that I'm looking forward to. And also going to the [Proctors] Theater, which I haven't yet been inside. But when I was there for final interview, we stayed at the hotel right next door, the Hampton Inn, and it just looks incredible. And so, I'm looking forward to catching some shows, too.
