The First Woman President of Springfield College

Mary-Beth Cooper was named the 13th president of Springfield College in Massachusetts. The college enrolls about 2,300 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students. When she takes office on September 1, Dr. Cooper will be the first woman to lead the college since its founding in 1885.

Dr. Cooper has been serving as senior vice president for student affairs at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She joined the staff at RIT in 2001 after serving as dean of students at the University of Rochester.

“I am thrilled to join the Springfield College community,” said Dr. Cooper. “The College has such a meaningful mission and renowned reputation and I am honored to have been selected to serve as its next president.”

Dr. Cooper is a graduate of the University of Delaware. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in college and university administration from Michigan State University. She also earned an MBA from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. in management from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.