#ThinkDoLead: The Lives Of Connecticut College Presidents

What's life like for the president of Connecticut College? As we prepare to Inaugurate Katherine Bergeron as our 11th president, get a glimpse into the responsibilities, activities and lives of our leaders.

1. Frederick H. Sykes

Via Bayard Henry Tyler, Portrait of President Frederick Henry Sykes, 1918, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

President Sykes explores the barren hilltop upon which Connecticut College for Women would be constructed.

2. Benjamin T. Marshall

Via Sidney Dickinson, Portrait of President Benjamin T. Marshall, 1919, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: President Marshall pours drinks at an Arboretum picnic.

Right: The Marshall family tries to take a photograph with their family dog.

3. Katharine Blunt

Via Ivan G. Olinsky, Portrait of President Katharine Blunt, 1947, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: President Blunt poses at her desk in Fanning Hall.

Right: President Blunt observes a military color guard on the Connecticut College campus.

4. Dorothy Schaffter

Via Connecticut College Archives

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

President Shaffter receives a Coast Guard escort at her Inauguration ceremonies.

5. Rosemary Park

Via Professor William Ashby McCloy, Portrait of President Rosemary Park, 1959, sand and lacquer paint

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: President Park speaks with her brother, Dr. William Park, who served as President of Simmons College from 1955 through 1970.

Right: President Park, center, helps lay the cornerstone for The College Center at Crozier-Williams.

6. Charles E. Shain

Via Professor William Ashby McCloy, Portrait of President Charles E. Shain, 1974, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: President Shain hosts a meeting with students in his office.

Right: Along with his wife, President Shain chats with tennis players on campus.

7. Oakes Ames

Via Sarah Stifler Lucas, Portrait of President Oakes Ames, 1985, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: At the opening of Shain Library in 1974, President Ames holds ceremonial scissors and jokes with visitors.

RIght: President Ames crosses campus on a rainy afternoon.

8. Claire L. Gaudiani '66

Via Constance Peck Beaty, Portrait of President Claire Gaudiani, 2006, oil on canvas

Via Linda Lear Center for Special Collections and Archives, Connecticut College

Left: In the driver's seat of the backhoe, President Gaudiani completes the demolition of the former guard shack following the construction of a new campus entry and gatehouse off Mohegan Avenue.

RIght: During her 1998 Commencement address, President Gaudiani took out a now-dated cell phone to illustrate a point.

9. Norman Fainstein

Via Gerlad P. York, Portrait of President Norman Fainstein, 2012, oil on canvas

Via Office of College Relations, Connecticut College

Left: President Fainstein, far left, watches as the dedication plaque is unveiled at the Charles Chu Asian Reading Room in Shain Library.

RIght: During a bright and sunny Commencement, President Fainstein sports sunglasses as he addresses the audience.

10. Leo I. Higdon, Jr.

Via Connecticut College

Via Office of College Relations, Connecticut College

Left: President Higdon addresses a crowd at Founder's Day, April 5, 2011, marking Connecticut College's 100th birthday.

Upper RIght: President Higdon greets students in Harris Refectory.

Lower RIght: Joined by students, faculty and senior administrators, President Higdon cuts the ribbon to open the Science Center at New London Hall in August 2012 following the building's renovation and expansion.

11. Katherine Bergeron

Via Connecticut College

Via Office of College Relations, Connecticut College

Left: President Bergeron poses with with Student Government Association President Evert Fowle '14 after they signed the Shared Governance Covenant in February, 2014.

Upper RIght: Following her Fall 2013 welcome event, President Bergeron greets students in Castle Court.

Lower RIght: In March 2014, President Bergeron joined Instagram under the username @PresidentBergeron. The caption for this photograph, taken in the President's house, reads, "Our new (old) Steinway, sunbathing in the living room."