Trustees

From the beginning, Sarah Lawrence has been blessed with trustees who intimately understand the mission of the College. Many have been graduates of the College, and know first-hand the transformative nature of the Sarah Lawrence education; others are truly “friends,” who have embraced our mission. Fierce in their commitment to protect what makes us unique, they work long and hard—and as volunteers—to help us develop the resources needed to maintain our pedagogy. They are proud of the College, its alumnae/i and its students, and they support the work of faculty and staff.

By their willingness to take certain risks and refusal to take others, trustees set the course of the College. They are entrusted with our fiduciary responsibility, and their financial savvy helps the College make the most of its resources. Their own financial support, and their enlisting the support of others, enables us to thrive. And, as all of my predecessors have known, the essential collaboration among the board, the president and the faculty is what makes the governance of a private college challenging and interesting.

The board usually works behind the scenes, yet its role couldn’t be more central. Trustees are the policy makers: Their vision moves us forward. They are instrumental in articulating the mission of the College—and their leadership is critical in translating that mission into the real texture and life of the institution.
—Michele Tolela Myers

Leaders of the Leaders: Sarah Lawrence College Board Chairs

• Henry Noble MacCracken 1929-1936
• Elliot Dunlap Smith 1936-1940
• Lawrence Frank 1940-1942
• Burton Fowler 1942-1947
• Harrison Tweed 1947-1955
• Lloyd Garrison 1955-1960
• James Rogers 1960-1964
• Ruddick Lawrence 1964-1969
• Harding Bancroft 1969-1971
• June Noble Larkin ’44 1971-1973
• Frank Taplin 1973-1977
• Phyllis Farley ’46 1977-1981
• Enid Silver Ship ’56 1981-1988
• George Adams 1988-1991
• Thomas Wright 1991-1995
• Joan Stern Girgus ’63 1995-1997
• Margot Bogert ’75 1997-present