The retiring president of the nation’s second-oldest women’s college says it’s time for a new leader at Columbia’s Stephens College. Longtime Stephens president Dianne Lynch is starting her 16th and final year as president of Stephens, which was founded in 1833. She joined host Fred Parry this weekend on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable”, telling listeners that it’s time:
“I believe that there is a reason and a season for leadership. And that after 16 years, it’s time for somebody else. Fresh eyes, fresh ideas, fresh leadership style, to arrive and embrace this extraordinary community and to be the next president that does great things at Stephens,” she tells Mr. Parry.
Stephens has welcomed its largest undergraduate class in a decade, with its fall class up 60 percent from last fall. Board chair M. Anne Murphy praises President Lynch, saying Stephens has flourished under her leadership, adding that President Lynch’s impact on Stephens “will be felt for generations to come.” One of President Lynch’s signature achievements was securing the largest gift in Stephens’ history: a $2.5 million annual donation in perpetuity, effective doubling Stephens’ endowment.
Columbia’s historic Stephens College is the nation’s second-oldest women’s college. It has a rich 190-year history. It also has many older buildings on campus. President Lynch tells the “CEO Roundtable” program that the school has invested millions of dollars into campus improvements since 2021. That includes roof work, air conditioning work and windows:
“They gave us, they adopted, we adopted a campus improvement plan. About $13.5 million is phase one and we’ll do it again. And so over the last two-and-a-half years, we have invested $13-million in the campus,” says Lynch.
President Lynch is known for having an open door to students. She’s also touting the workforce development program, which started in 2024. It’s designed to offer training in high-demand fields, providing participants with living wages and guaranteed apprenticeships.
