Two Women Who Lead High-Ranking Liberal Arts Colleges Have Received Contract Extensions

Amy Marcus-Newhall, president of Scripps College in California, has received a contract extension through June 2028.

Scripps College is a liberal arts educational institution for women that is one of the Claremont Colleges. According to the Department of Education’s most recent data from 2022, the college enrolls about 1,100 undergraduate women.

Since assuming the Scripps College presidency in April 2023, Dr. Marcus-Newhall has led the women’s college through several campus infrastructure improvements and fundraising initiatives. A full professor of psychology, she has served on the Scripps College faculty for over three decades. She held several administrative roles prior to her presidential appointment, including associate dean of faculty, vice president for academic affairs, dean of faculty, and two stints as interim president.

Dr. Marcus-Newhall earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and American studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Southern California.

Anne Harris, president of Grinnell College in Iowa, has received a contract extension through June 2030.

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education, Grinnell College enrolls some 1,800 undergraduate students, 53 percent of whom are women.

Dr. Harris came to Grinnell College in 2019 as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. She assumed her presidency in July 2020, making her the second woman to ever hold the position. During her tenure as president, she has worked to improve the college’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, academic and community development programs, and financial standing. Earlier in her career, she was a professor of art history at DePauw University in Indiana for two decades.

Dr. Harris is a graduate of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she double-majored in art history and classical languages. She earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago.