New London — Connecticut College has named Andrea Chapdelaine, president of Hood College in Frederick, Md., as its 12th president, effective July 1.

Chapdelaine’s appointment concludes a monthslong search begun after the ousting of Conn’s previous president, Katherine Bergeron.

John Cramer, Conn’s vice president of communication, said the college needed a president who could address an “increasingly complex environment” in academia, including the social climate, demographic changes and labor demands.

“President-elect Chapdelaine understands those challenges and has demonstrated that innovative thinking, consensus-building and thoughtful stewardship can meet the moment,” Cramer said in a statement.

Executive search firm WittKieffer had proposed prospective candidates to Conn’s presidential search committee, whose members included college trustees, faculty and students, and made final recommendations to the board of trustees, who unanimously approved Chapdelaine.

Search committee members signed confidentially agreements and declined to provide details about the selection process.

Chapdelaine, 57, has been president of Hood College since 2015. Under her leadership, the small private school’s endowment has grown exponentially. In October, the college received its largest-ever donation of $50 million.

Chapdelaine could not immediately be reached to comment.

Conn students and faculty were cautiously optimistic about Chapdelaine’s selection.

Crystal Dixon, a junior, expressed satisfaction with Chapdelaine’s fundraising efforts at Hood, and hopes the president-elect will prioritize student needs in her administration.

“I really hope that she makes some better decisions than our previous president,” Dixon said, referring to Bergeron.

Matt Swagler, an associate professor of history at Conn, expressed a similar desire. He said the college needs to prioritize the core missions of the school, like academics and student life, but also needs to provide the staff with greater resources.

“One of the things that I would like to see is some way in which the kind of funds that are being asked for, and the things that we're asking funders for actually align with the needs of the staff and students on campus,” Swagler said. “Because I feel that that hasn't always been the case.”

Earlier this year, Conn employees at Harris Dining Hall overwhelmingly voted to unionize after demonstrating for better pay and better working conditions.

Chapdelaine will replace Les Wong, who has served as interim president since June 2023.

“The college could not find, nor seek a better person for the job,” Wong said in a statement.

Chapdelaine has doctoral and master’s degrees in social psychology from the University of Connecticut, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in justice studies at the University of New Hampshire, according to Hood College’s website. A Massachusetts native, she began her teaching career at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and taught at Trinity College in Hartford.

In 1998, she joined Albright College in Reading, Pa., where she was a psychology faculty member and also served as dean of undergraduate studies before serving as the provost from 2006 to 2015.

A year ago this week, Bergeron resigned after weeks of campus protests over the resignation of Rodmon King, Conn’s former dean of institutional equity and inclusion.

King resigned in protest of Bergeron holding a fundraising event at a Florida social club faced with allegations of racism and antisemitism.

For 10 days, dozens of students demanded Bergeron’s resignation, locking themselves inside Fanning Hall, a lecture hall and administrative building housing the president’s office.

In a letter to the board of trustees, King said Bergeron’s “bullying behaviors” made for a hostile work environment.

When she resigned, Bergeron said it was time for the college to move forward.

In her nine years as Conn president, she was lauded for her visionary Connections program, which redefined the college’s liberal arts curriculum. Her Defy Boundaries campaign raised hundreds of millions of dollars, significantly boosting the college’s endowment.

t.wright@theday.com