The board of trustees of Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut, has named Tracy Epsy as the educational institution’s eighth president. When she takes office on July 1, Dr. Epsy will be the first African American woman to lead the college.
Mitchell College enrolls about 650 students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 42 percent of the student body.
In accepting the appointment, Dr. Epsy stated that “my heart is truly in liberal arts with a commitment to life-long learning. I was made aware of the opportunity at Mitchell College and immediately became captivated by its mission to celebrate and develop the power of unique minds. I am honored and excited to become a part of such a warm, compassionate, engaging, and supportive liberal arts environment.“
Dr. Epsy currently serves as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Pfeiffer University, which operates three campuses in Charlotte, Raleigh, and Misenheimer, North Carolina. She has been on the staff at Pfeiffer University for more than two decades.
Dr. Epsy grew up in Alabama and earned her bachelor’s degree at Berea College in Kentucky. She earned a master’s degree in family studies from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and Ph.D. in child/family-marriage and family therapy from Syracuse University in New York.