![A well-dressed man in a navy blue suit stands with his arms crossed, smiling confidently in front of a glass-paneled building with a brick exterior.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1759249873/colbysawyeredu/j91yyj8vptgmyjpojhoo/Dean-7.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1759249873/colbysawyeredu/j91yyj8vptgmyjpojhoo/Dean-7.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1759249873/colbysawyeredu/j91yyj8vptgmyjpojhoo/Dean-7.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1759249873/colbysawyeredu/j91yyj8vptgmyjpojhoo/Dean-7.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1759249873/colbysawyeredu/j91yyj8vptgmyjpojhoo/Dean-7.jpg","width":1600}])
President Dean McCurdy talked about Colby-Sawyer's time-honored traditions and future plans on the Small College America podcast.
Cohosts Kent Barnds and Dean Hoke asked McCurdy what role Colby-Sawyer, which was founded in 1837, will have in five years.
McCurdy said he’s excited for the future and that the challenges of higher education, including the demographic cliff, will drive innovation. Colby-Sawyer, he said, will look to deepen workforce partnerships and address community needs, including early childhood education and housing.
“I’ve come in at an amazing time,” McCurdy said, referencing the development of a new strategic plan and the review of the liberal arts core. “What's been exciting for me in working with the faculty ... is how do we reinforce those liberal arts values and competencies that have always existed and need to continue to exist ... and infusing that with technology.”
McCurdy also spoke about a variety of other topics, including lessons he learned working in a 200,000-student community college system in Indiana, Colby-Sawyer's maple sugaring course, an alumnus success story and Charger Athletics.