Rhonda G. Phillips has been appointed the eighth president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, effective July 1. The college is a primarily undergraduate institution, enrolling some 1,600 undergraduates and 10 graduate students. Women represent 61 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Currently, Dr. Phillips serves as the twentieth president of Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before her current presidency, she spent 10 years as the inaugural dean of the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University in Indiana, where she taught in the agricultural economics department. Prior to her tenure with Purdue, she served in a multitude of capacities at Arizona State University, including associate dean of the Honors College, professor and director of the School of Community Resources and Development, and senior sustainability scientist at the Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. Earlier in her career, she was a faculty member at the University of Southern Mississippi, serving as director of the planning program in the geography and economic development department.
“As the National Public Honors College, St. Mary’s College of Maryland is an exemplar in liberal arts and sciences education, combining learning, discovery, and engagement opportunities in a transformative environment,” said Dr. Phillips. “I’m eager to work with the trustees, faculty, students, staff and community partners to further elevate SMCM’s excellence and recognition for its exceptional value-added educational experience.”
Dr. Phillips is the first woman to have received a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi, as well as a second master’s degree in economics from Georgia Tech.