Dive Brief:

• Swarthmore College has named Princeton University Dean of the College Valerie Smith as its 15th president.
• Smith will take office on July 1 and is also a distinguished professor of African-American literature and culture.
• Swarthmore's Board of Managers unanimously approved Smith's appointment.

Dive Insight:

At Princeton, Smith is in charge of the undergraduate academic program. She has also headed admission and financial aid offices, and has chaired a committee that made recommendations for improving academic and cultural experiences for low-income and first-generation students at the university. Swarthmore is currently headed by interim president Constance Cain Hungerford, a former provost of the college who will go back to her position as the college's Mari S. Michener Professor of Art History when Smith takes over.