Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Hands-On Career Preparation
    An AI-Driven Work Force
    Alternative Pathways
Sign In
Leadership

Embattled President of Connecticut College Will Step Down

By Kate Hidalgo Bellows March 24, 2023
Katherine Bergeron video
Katherine BergeronChronicle photo

After facing calls to resign for weeks over a planned fund-raising event, Katherine Bergeron will step down as president of Connecticut College at the end of the spring semester, she announced on Friday.

For more than a month, Bergeron has faced blowback over the college’s decision to host an event at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, Florida, which reportedly has a history of excluding Black and Jewish members. Up to this point, Bergeron, Connecticut College’s president since 2014, had maintained that she would not resign.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

After facing calls to resign for weeks over a planned fund-raising event, Katherine Bergeron will step down as president of Connecticut College at the end of the spring semester, she announced on Friday.

For more than a month, Bergeron has faced blowback over the private college’s decision to host an event at the Everglades Club, a venue in Palm Beach, Fla., that reportedly has a history of excluding Black and Jewish members. Until now, Bergeron, the college’s president since 2014, had maintained that she would not resign.

But in a statement on Friday, Bergeron wrote that the past few weeks had been especially difficult.

“As president, I fully accept my share of responsibility for the circumstances that have led us to this moment,” she wrote.

On February 6, in response to concerns raised by senior staff members, Bergeron canceled the fund-raising event.

The next day, the college’s dean of institutional equity and inclusion, Rodmon Cedric King, resigned in protest of the episode. In a public letter, he called out a “toxic administrative culture of fear and intimidation” at the college.

Students then called on Bergeron to step down, drawing attention to what they described as the institution’s lack of funding for diversity efforts and turnover problems in the office that King had led. King, whose tenure at the college lasted just over a year, has since been hired as assistant dean of diversity, inclusion, and belonging at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Over the next month, Bergeron hung on. She apologized to the campus community for the planned event in Palm Beach and maintained that she was committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students began a sit-in at the administration building, pausing only during the institution’s spring break. Faculty members voted no-confidence in Bergeron’s leadership.

In her statement on Friday, Bergeron wrote that her decision to step down was in the best interest of the faculty, staff, and students.

ADVERTISEMENT

“For my part, I have thought hard about the events of the past weeks, and I know I will continue to learn from them,” Bergeron wrote. “I hope it is possible for everyone to do the same, for there are many lessons here. It is only through careful, honest discernment that a community can grow towards peace, wisdom, and justice.”

In a separate statement, the chair of the Board of Trustees, Debo P. Adegbile, wrote that the board would name an interim president and immediately begin the process of searching for a new president. Adegbile also underscored the college’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Over the last several weeks our focus has been drawn to areas in which the college can better execute its mission, including the area of equity, inclusion, and full participation.” Adegbile wrote. “Constructive dialogue among students, staff, faculty, administrators, and trustees has already begun to clarify an approach to the next phase of work we need to do to improve the Conn College experience for everyone.”

Bergeron came to Connecticut College from Brown University, where she served as dean of the college from 2006 to 2013.

A spokesperson for Connecticut College declined a request to comment on the resignation, referring The Chronicle to Bergeron’s and the board’s statements.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Leadership & Governance Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Kate Hidalgo Bellows, staff writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education.
About the Author
Kate Hidalgo Bellows
Kate Hidalgo Bellows is a staff reporter at The Chronicle. Follow her on Twitter @katebellows, or email her at kate.hidalgobellows@chronicle.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Graphic vector illustration of a ship with education-like embellishments being tossed on a black sea with a Kraken-esque elephant trunk ascending from the depth against a stormy red background.
Creeping concerns
Most Colleges Aren’t a Target of Trump (Yet). Here’s How Their Presidents Are Leading.
Photo-based illustration of calendars on a wall (July, August and September) with a red line marking through most of the dates
'A Creative Solution'
Facing Federal Uncertainty, Swarthmore Makes a Novel Plan: the 3-Month Budget
Marva Johnson is set to take the helm of Florida A&M University this summer.
Leadership & governance
‘Surprising': A DeSantis-Backed Lobbyist Is Tapped to Lead Florida A&M
Students and community members protest outside of Coffman Memorial Union at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Campus Activism
One Year After the Encampments, Campuses Are Quieter and Quicker to Stop Protests

From The Review

Glenn Loury in Providence, R.I. on May 7, 2024.
The Review | Conversation
Glenn Loury on the ‘Barbarians at the Gates’
By Evan Goldstein, Len Gutkin
Illustration showing a valedictorian speaker who's tassel is a vintage microphone
The Review | Opinion
A Graduation Speaker Gets Canceled
By Corey Robin
Illustration showing a stack of coins and a university building falling over
The Review | Opinion
Here’s What Congress’s Endowment-Tax Plan Might Cost Your College
By Phillip Levine

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin