On July 1, Janet Morgan Riggs, PhD, president of Gettysburg College, began her term as the chair of the Board of Presidents, the trustee level leadership group of the Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts (PCLA). Previously the vice-chair of the PCLA Board, Dr. Riggs was succeeded in that position by Kimberly W. Cassidy, PhD, president of Bryn Mawr College. Additionally, James A. Troha, PhD, president of Juniata College, was chosen from among his peers to fill an opening on the board’s executive committee.

Rounding out the four person executive committee is the past-chair of the PCLA Board Tori Haring-Smith, PhD, president of Washington & Jefferson College. Dr. Haring-Smith led the board from the consortium’s inception as her institution took the lead on applying for, and administering, the initial funding that allowed the PCLA to hire the staff that are employed today, and begin providing programming for our members. We thank Dr. Haring-Smith for her leadership and her continued contributions to the executive committee, and the entire board.

The Pennsylvania Consortium for the Liberal Arts (PCLA), founded in 2014, is a consortium of eleven small liberal arts colleges across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Haverford, Juniata, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Washington & Jefferson Colleges.) We strive to find areas of collaboration across our members that enhance the core principles of the liberal arts experience provided to the ~20,000 students that our institutions serve.

The PCLA is governed by the eleven member Board of Presidents, which is in turn led by a four person executive committee. The daily administration of PCLA activities is guided by the executive director, assisted by the program coordinator. The PCLA office is hosted by Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA with employment and financial services provided by Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA.