Adam Hartzer ’23
Editor-in-Chief and Layout Editor
Following an almost eight-month selection process, the Lake Forest College Board of Trustees and Presidential Search Committee announced the selection of Dr. Jill Baren as the 14th president of the College, and the College’s first woman president.
Lake Forest College students shared their reactions to the recent announcement. First-year student Cass Barbera ’25 is excited to see the changes coming to the College.
“I am very excited about the College announcing the first woman as president. I feel that the College has always been so good about including everyone’s needs, but am excited to see what changes will be made with a woman as president. As progressive as we are, I still think it is a great step for a woman to be selected as a president of our College and I hope I get to know her very soon,” Barbera shares.
Similar to Barbera, Student Government President Wiktoria Pedryc ’24 shares her reaction to the news and how she looks forward to the collaboration between Student Government and the College’s leadership.
“I am very pleased with the selection of Dr. Jill M. Baren as our new President. Dr. Baren is an accomplished higher education administrator, and we are fortunate to have such a charismatic and talented individual as a role model and leader of our College. Along with Student Government, I am truly excited to help with her transition into the Forester Community. I am very much looking forward to Student Government collaborating with Dr. Baren to support the student experience for many years to come,” Pedryc shared in a statement.
Dr. Baren was unanimously recommended based on her well-rounded education, background, experience, and value of the liberal arts.
“The unique brand that Lake Forest College has created, with its marriage of a strong liberal arts tradition and exceptional career preparation, positions the College as a leader in higher education,” Baren shares in a statement from the College.
Her passion for the liberal arts, coupled with her experience in higher education, made Baren an attractive candidate to lead Lake Forest College, according to David Gorter ’80, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
“She believes small liberal arts colleges are one of the greatest educational assets of our country, and that our success is directly tied to the inspiring success of our students. As our campus leader, Jill will engage frequently and deliberately with students to learn what is important to their futures. She will use this same approach in cultivating relationships with faculty, alumni, staff, and the surrounding community,” Gorter said in a released statement.
Baren shares her interest and appeal to joining the Lake Forest College community.
“This fresh and modern approach to a rigorous liberal arts education resonates strongly with me and made the position at Lake Forest College a very appealing opportunity. Recent investments in state-of-the-art academic buildings and athletic facilities and the recruitment of the largest incoming freshman class in history are clear indications of growth and desirability. They serve as a wonderful platform on which to advance the mission of Lake Forest College,” Baren shares.
Baren will serve as Lake Forest College’s first woman president, succeeding Stephen Schutt who announced his retirement last summer after serving as President for 21 years.
Baren brings experience as a medical professional, physician, educator, and administrator focused in humanism, medical ethics, experiential education, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a strong belief in the liberal arts, according to the statement from the College. Baren has served in administrative roles at the University of Pennsylvania and most recently at the University of the Sciences. She also served as an educator at UCLA, Yale University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of the Sciences over the past 30 years.
Her well-rounded background and professional experience will not only continue expanding Lake Forest College’s recent growth in the sciences, but also in the arts.
“She brings significant leadership experience to the Lake Forest College presidency. Her background in health professions and academia not only bolsters our partnership with Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, but also will enable her to think strategically and bring creative ideas to all aspects of the College,” according to Vice Chair William Lowry ’84 in a statement from the College. “Jill will lead with confidence, authenticity, and an entrepreneurial style.”
The Lake Forest College Community eagerly awaits her arrival, as she moves to the Lake Forest area this summer before assuming the president role in July 2022.
For additional updates, community members are encouraged to visit lakeforest.edu/about-us/announcing-the-fourteenth-president.
