Albright Board Unanimously Votes to Extend President Fetrow's Contract
Reading, PA (09/01/2022) — Albright College's Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to extend the contract of Albright's 15th president, Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Ph.D. '82, through 2027. The first Albright graduate to lead the college, Fetrow returned to her alma mater to serve as president in 2017.
President Fetrow's "collaborative leadership style, commitment to ensuring an equitable and inclusive campus environment, focus on a sustainable financial model, innovative thinking and care for the health and well-being of students, faculty and staff, are making a significant impact on Albright and the greater Berks County community." said Albright Board of Trustees Chair, Ron Scheese '83, in a letter to the campus community.
Over the last five years, Fetrow has worked to bring campus community members together to dive deeply into every aspect of the college, from its history and values to its mission and institutional priorities. Her approach to strategic planning has been an emergent process that allows for innovative and out-of-the-box ideas, enabling the college to grow and thrive. Under her leadership, progress on the Strategic Vision, endorsed by the faculty and Board of Trustees in February 2020, has continued even in the face of a global pandemic.
Recent successes under Fetrow's leadership include:
Albright's partnership with the Science Research Institute, a program that enhances opportunity and full participation in the STEM fields and beyond for middle and high school students across Berks County, and provides a pipeline of prospective students to Albright College.
Growth of Albright's School of Professional Studies with the addition of new undergraduate and graduate programs, expanding opportunities for current and future students.
Plans for a cutting-edge esports facility in partnership with NerdStreet, which will house Albright's esports team, provide advanced education opportunities for our students, and be a hub for innovation in the surrounding community.
National recognition for Albright's outstanding fashion program - the only undergraduate college with designs on the runway during New York Fashion Week.
A focus on affordability with tuition rightsizing, renovation of our financial aid programs, and the creation of the Advancing Lives Scholarship program and Lifting Up Lions fund.
The creation of Empowering Albright Voices, a day held each semester in which Albrightians come together to celebrate Albright's diversity and explore how similar and dissimilar ideas and people can interact to create something powerful.
A renovated Jake's Place restaurant, funded by Aramark, with broadened, popular and healthy food options available until midnight, and a new residence hall at 12th & Exeter Streets funded by MPG Impact Development.
A re-envisioned Student Success Commons and Library, part of a plan to put Albright's student-centered offices in one place, and create a hub of learning and culture in the center of campus.
"On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are grateful for President Fetrow's leadership over the last five years and look forward to the next five, as we work together to achieve our shared vision and ambitious 2030 goal," said Scheese.
Named a top national college by Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, Albright College (founded 1856) is home to a diverse community of learners who cultivate integrity, curiosity, connection and resilience. Through learning experiences that engage a student's creative and innovative capacities across all disciplines, both inside and outside of the classroom, an Albright College education guarantees that each student learns how to engage the world, understand the world, and is prepared to make an impact on a rapidly changing world. Located in Reading, Pa., Albright is home to undergraduate students, adult learners and graduate students.
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Jacquelyn S. Fetrow, Ph.D. ’82 returned to her alma mater in 2017 as the first Albright graduate to lead the college.