Johnson State College President Announces Her Retirement

Barbara E. Murphy, who has served as president of Johnson State College in Johnson, Vermont, for the past 14 years, has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2014-15 academic year.

Vermont State Colleges Chancellor Timothy Donovan stated that “it’s with regret that I’ve acknowledged President Murphy’s plan to retire next year. I can say in all honesty that very few people have the ability to constantly connect with students and inspire them to succeed while also devoting boundless energy and vision to an institution. Barbara did all of this and more.”

Martha O’Connor, chair of the Vermont State Colleges Board of Trustees, added that “for nearly a decade and a half Johnson State College has had the good fortune to have been guided by President Murphy. The college’s achievements during her tenure are remarkable, and the positive effect Barbara has had at JSC will be felt for generations.”

Before becoming president of Johnson State College in 2001, Murphy was president of the Community College of Vermont in Winooski for seven years. President Murphy is a graduate of the Catholic University of American in Washington, D.C., where she majored in English. She holds a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and a master of fine arts degree in creative writing from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina.