In Memoriam: Lorna Peterson, 1939-2024

Lorna Peterson, former executive director of the Five College Consortium in Amherst, Massachusetts, passed away on March 16. She was 84 years old.

Five Colleges is a consortium that aims to foster collaborative efforts between its five Massachusetts-based institutional members: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dr. Peterson’s career at Five Colleges spanned almost three decades, with nearly two decades as the organization’s executive director. During her tenure, the consortium experienced growth in its infrastructure and programming including the addition of 11 new certificate programs and the establishment of the Center for World Languages. Upon her retirement in 2009, Five Colleges established the Loran Peterson Prize, which is given annually to a student on a member campus who demonstrates commitment to collaboration in their academic career.

Outside of her position with Five Colleges, Dr. Peterson was a member of the Association for Collaborative Leadership, a professional organization focused on higher education collaboration. She also served as a board member for many organizations including the University of Massachusetts Amherst Fine Arts Center.

Dr. Peterson held a bachelor’s degree in history from the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in Serbo-Croatian literature from Yale University.