History of Colby-Sawyer

In 1837, 11 New London residents applied for, and were granted, a legislative charter to establish a school, and the history of Colby-Sawyer began. With the support of the town, these residents constructed a building to house the New London Academy. The college continued to own the Academy Building until 1999, when it gifted the historical site to the town. Today, the building houses the New London town offices. 

In May 1838, the Academy welcomed its first students. Susan Farnham Colby, the daughter of one of the Academy's founders, served as its first teacher and “lady principal.” Colby married James B. Colgate of New York, and each generation of her family has remained connected to the college. Her daughter, Mary Colgate, gifted Colgate Hall, the central administration building on campus, to the school. The institution formally recognized the special relationship with the Colby family in 1878, when the New London Academy was renamed Colby Academy. 

In 1928, after 90 years as a coeducational academy, Colby Academy became a junior college for women. Under the leadership of President H. Leslie Sawyer (1922-1955), Colby Junior College became widely recognized and earned a national reputation. Enrollment grew, and the college constructed new buildings to meet the growing number of applicants to its programs.  

In 1943, the college amended its charter to allow for the introduction of baccalaureate programs. The make-up of the student body shifted as women enrolled in those programs in increasing numbers. Following Sawyer’s retirement, and over the next 30 years, his successors contributed to further growth and expansion of the institution. Presidents Eugene M. Austin (1955-1962) and Everett M. Woodman (1962-1972) shaped the development and diversity of the student body and had a vision for the future during a period of unusual prosperity. 

The college began its transition to a four-year institution during the administration of its fourth president, Louis C. Vaccaro (1972-1978). In 1975, the college changed its name to Colby-Sawyer in honor of its first president and in recognition of its enlarged mission. The college completed its transition under the presidency of H. Nicholas Muller III (1978-1986), the college’s fifth president. Muller led the construction of the new library/learning center, which won awards for its innovative design. The building continues to provide students a comfortable and attractive environment conducive to studying and learning. 

The sixth president of the college, Peggy A. Stock (1986-1995), increased enrollment, completed a successful capital campaign and constructed or renovated several buildings, including Rooke Hall and the Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center. In 1989, the Board of Trustees voted to admit men, returning the college to its coeducational roots. 

Anne Ponder (1996-2005) served as the seventh president of Colby-Sawyer. She led the largest capital campaign in college history, raising more than $40 million for endowment, capital projects and academic support. Earlier in her tenure, Ponder led a drive to return a historic building, the former Colbytown Camp, now named Lethbridge Lodge, to campus for student use, and she extended the college's contiguous landholdings to 200 acres. She also built two new residence halls, Danforth and Lawson halls, and the Curtis L. Ivey Science Center, and renovated Mercer Hall. 

The college’s eighth president, Thomas C. Galligan Jr. (2006-16), was a former dean and professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. In his 10 years of leadership, Colby-Sawyer doubled its number of academic majors, introduced distance education, diversified its student body, committed to sustainability, and rededicated itself to making a private education accessible to all students. Under Galligan’s leadership, the college also improved and expanded facilities, including the renovation of the Ware Student Center and the construction of the Davidow Center for Art + Design and the Sustainable Classroom, the Sunshack. 

Susan D. Stuebner (2016-2024), former executive vice president and chief operating officer at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, served as the college's ninth president. Her eight years in office were transformative for the college, marked by unprecedented fundraising success, expanded partnerships, endowment growth and new graduate and professional programs. Stuebner oversaw the planning and construction of two new facilities, the Chargers Athletic Pavilion and the Janet Udall Schaefer ’52 Center for Health Sciences.  

Dean G. McCurdy, the 10th president of the college, took office on June 1, 2025. The Colby-Sawyer Board of Trustees selected McCurdy, the former provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, unanimously based on his unique combination of skills and character, including a commitment to the liberal arts, broad institutional and financial management expertise, emotional intelligence, keen intellect and drive to innovate.