Claire L. Gaudiani, serving as Connecticut College’s eighth president, was a force of nature who inspired admiration, intellectual vibrancy and generosity. As a public intellectual, Gaudiani was socially aware and culturally inquisitive. She created a community on campus where student and faculty research projects thrived and Nobel Prize winners were frequent visitors and interlocutors.

A powerful, compelling and articulate communicator, she could also be extremely challenging for those who did not agree with her. I understand that perspective, but I also saw a side that includes qualities that all great leaders need: empathy, the ability to listen to others and a desire to create something greater than the individual in service of others. Former students remarked that she was a trailblazer who appreciated student involvement and input, crediting her with changing their lives. They note that Gaudiani’s tenure at Connecticut College recorded many firsts, such as the creation of the first interdisciplinary center, Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts (CISLA), which linked professional studies to the humanities. Offering the foresight to require foreign language competency along with global studies, her innovative proposal embedded a global experience within research projects that better understand the complexities of globalization and a rapidly changing technological world.

Significantly, Gaudiani envisioned and secured the funding for the creation of four centers in total, which hosted national and international conferences, world leaders and think tanks for publications that continue to make an impact in areas of democracy, art, technology, globalization, the humanities, the environment, social justice, equity and inclusion. She raised the profile of Connecticut College in national rankings over 20 percentage points by understanding the relationship between scholarship and excellent teaching. Toward this effort, Gaudiani reduced the teaching load by one course per year to be more competitive with peer institutions and enable more professional time for research publications, grant writing and service.

As a teacher/scholar, Gaudiani pursued more funding and encouraged student/faculty scholarship, securing highly competitive grants from the Olin, Mellon, Rockefeller and Hewlett Foundations, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Department of Education. The grants reinvigorated the sciences, foreign languages, politics, gender studies, the arts, technology, study away, student research and internships. Gaudiani inaugurated projects to re-envision the liberal arts, enhance science offerings by building a new science center, construct new dormitories, a remodeled Crozier-Williams student center and modernized Shain Library, all projects that were intellectually and architecturally compatible with the college’s model. These factors drove Connecticut College’s gains in the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of educational institutions to an all-time high. One student overcome by the multiple visits to campus of internationally-ranked scholars and speakers sighed, “another Nobel Prize winner?” Yes, and President Gaudiani consistently encouraged faculty, staff, students and New London community members to take leadership roles in the national dialogues.

If Claire Gaudiani demanded a lot of others in her working relationships, she demanded even more of herself, working tirelessly for New London, a city she grew to love as a college student and even more as its president. She saw its potential, loved its vibe and was willing to sacrifice for its future. Faculty were encouraged with special mortgages to purchase homes in New London and invest in the stability of the community. Gaudiani forged relationships between the college and nonprofits, the government, social agencies, religious institutions, the arts and local businesses, encouraging the sharing of innovations because it strengthened the position of all involved. She supported college investment in downtown New London for dormitories, office and classroom space, understanding the value of a vibrant community that coexists with vibrant institutions of higher education.

A controversial figure, she was a very spiritual person who withstood unrelenting personal attacks reminiscent of today’s political climate. Gaudiani’s vision for Connecticut College and New London was never meant to be unilateral or addressed in a single, presidential tenure. Rather, she laid the groundwork for others to adopt, critique, internalize or reframe.

The last time we spoke, Gaudiani had Connecticut College and New London on her mind and in her heart. I brought her up to date on the developments in New London and she intentionally communicated with great excitement a plan to reengage an important sector of Connecticut College’s past to connect them with the present and future of the college and New London, a strategy she felt especially important in times of transition. It is my hope that Claire Gaudiani’s vision for Connecticut College and New London will continue to grow and prosper into the future beyond the divisiveness of the past and present.

Julia A. Kushigian is the Hanna Hafkesbrink Professor of Hispanic Studies at Connecticut College.