Spelman College President Mary Schmidt Campbell announced Tuesday she is retiring at the end of June, saying she’s accomplished most of her goals for the school and wants to spend more time with her family.
“I love the people I work with. I love my students. I really enjoy the work. But you come to recognize you’re at that stage in your life that if you are to savor your family, fully, it really had to be now,” Campbell, 73, a mother of three adult sons and grandmother of seven, said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Campbell, who became Spelman’s president in August 2015, said she decided next year is a good time to leave because the Atlanta college will have completed a capital fundraising campaign and its strategic plan. The college has already reached its $250 million goal.
“It seemed like a logical point to pass the baton,” she said.
Spelman’s presidency will be a desired job opening. The school is considered one of the nation’s most prestigious women’s and historically Black colleges. Its six-year, 75% graduation rate exceeds the national average of 60% and is the highest of any accredited HBCU. The college, Campbell said, has about a $500 million endowment. It has received record donations in the last year, many coming from large companies and philanthropists aiming to address systemic racial disparities in education.
Campbell told the AJC the coronavirus pandemic played no significant role in her decision. The college’s enrollment is projected to rise slightly this year, from about 2,100 students, and it recently cleared account balances for some of them. Campbell said the pandemic has brought out “the very best in Spelman.”
Still, the pandemic continues to present challenges. The college is requiring students get the COVID-19 vaccine to be on campus for the fall semester, which starts Wednesday. Campbell noted other ongoing challenges, including the need for new residence halls and partnering with the community. The college currently works with youth in nearby neighborhoods to improve their math and reading skills.
Campbell, who has a background in cultural affairs, was credited by many Tuesday for enhancing the college’s arts curriculum and facilities. She’s also pushed to increase coursework and post-graduate opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math, noting half of its incoming first-year students are STEM-focused.
Campbell has also faced contentious moments. The college announced in 2017 it would admit transgender female students, drawing criticism from some alumnae. Around that time, student activists marshaled a campaign — largely via social media — demanding Spelman do more to address sexual assault claims by students.
Affordability remains another challenge. More than 80% of its students receive federal student loans and 33% of them aren’t making progress on those loans, both percentages above national averages, federal data shows. Its tuition, on-campus housing and fees this year total about $43,000. Campbell believes the college can raise more revenue through initiatives such as eSpelman, its new online certificate education curriculum, to lower costs for undergraduate students.
“That’s something that really needs to be stressed in the years to come so that our students can come here, be reasonably supported and get to the finish line and graduate with a degree,” she said.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Mamie Voight, interim president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, believes it’s critical for colleges like Spelman to use data-driven research to improve student outcomes, noting a growing divide in access to college and graduation rates nationally among non-white students.
“The next leader of Spelman will have a big charge to lead the institution and move it forward,” said Voight.
Spelman’s board of trustees, led by Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, will conduct a search for the college’s next president. Campbell said she won’t be involved in the search.
“While we understand and accept Dr. Campbell’s assessment that this is the right time to return to retirement, we will greatly miss her impactful and compassionate leadership,” Brewer said in a statement.
Campbell said she’ll continue to serve on other boards and work on essays focused on art history.
Five things to know about Mary Schmidt Campbell
- She is Spelman College’s 10th president, starting in her current role on Aug. 1, 2015.
- Before coming to Spelman, she was dean of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, retiring from that position in 2014.
- She previously worked as the commissioner of New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
- She completed a book, “An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden,” receiving the 2018 Hooks National Book Award from the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis.
- Her grandson, George Campbell, is a defender for Atlanta United.
SPELMAN COLLEGE BY THE NUMBERS
- Its six-year graduation rate is 75%.
- The college exceeded its $75 million fundraising goal for new scholarships, pulling in about $120 million.
- Its endowment has grown from roughly $340 million to nearly $500 million since 2015.
- Tuition, student housing and fees this school year are about $43,000.
- Enrollment applications have increased from 4,000 to 11,500 since 2015.
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