The board of trustees of LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia, has selected Susanna Baxter as the educational institution’s 26th president. When she takes office this summer, she will be only the second woman to lead the college in its 190-year history.
LaGrange College, which is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, enrolls nearly 900 undergraduate students and about 150 graduate students, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s most recent statistics. Women make up 52 percent of the undergraduate student body.
In accepting the appointment, Dr. Baxter said that “it is an honor to be joining such a wonderful institution with such a dedicated team. My family and I look forward to becoming part of a vibrant campus community — and the equally vibrant community of LaGrange. Working with the entire LaGrange family, I am confident we can propel the college strongly ahead.”
For the past decade, Dr. Baxrer has been serving as president of the Georgia Independent College Association. In 2000, she joined the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association as head of member services and grants, eventually becoming chief operating officer in 2007. Earlier in her career, Dr. Baxter was director of residence life and intramural activities at Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina, before being named dean of students.
Dr. Baxter is a summa cum laude graduate of what is now Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina, where she majored in Christian education and religion. She holds a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in higher education leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University.