President Lorraine Sterrit was named Saint Michael’s College’s 17th President in the Summer of 2018. Sterritt is the first female president since SMC’s 1904 founding. Previous to SMC, Sterritt was born and raised in Ireland. She completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at The Queen’s University of Belfast before receiving a second Master’s and PhD from Princeton University in New Jersey.
Sterritt has spent 30 years in the education industry. She began at Chatham Hall, an all-girls college-preparatory boarding school in Virginia and eventually moved into higher education at schools such as Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania. Most recently Sterritt served as the president of Salem Academy and College in North Carolina.
Since joining the SMC community President Sterritt has been a friendly, and familiar, face on campus. Whether she and her husband Bert are dining in Alliot, attending a sporting event, or visiting with the various clubs on campus, President Sterritt is never hard to find. In addition to engaging the current students, Sterritt has worked to connect with SMC alumni across the country through networking events.
I had the opportunity to speak with President Sterritt about her role at SMC, her career path, and being a female in academia. Currently two years into her role, President Sterritt has become increasingly loved by the students of SMC. Her genuine interest in the lives’ of students and her efforts to attend as many events as possible shows her commitment to building a true community.
HC: What does it mean to you to be the first female president of SMC?
LS: I am very honored to be the first female president of SMC. Things are changing for women, but we still have a very long way to go, and it is crucially important that women be represented in leadership positions.
HC: As the first female president of SMC how does this affect your overall goals for the college? Do you feel a responsibility to advocate for women’s voices or does this not impact your job?
LS: All voices need to be heard. Women’s voices have often been underrepresented, and we need to level the playing field.
HC: You are extremely present and active on campus, why is this important to you?
LS: It is very important to me because any community needs the leader to be visible and involved.
HC: Academia tends to be a male dominated industry, throughout your career have you dealt with criticism due to your gender? If so, how have you overcome this?
LS: I have experienced gender discrimination. We all need to speak and act against discrimination of any kind, whether or not we are the victims of it ourselves.
HC: In your college and professional experiences, how have you seen women in the workplace and in general, treatment of women change?
LS: I believe that things have changed for the better, but the progress is too slow, and we have a very long way to go. All women should have equal pay for equal work.
HC: A lot of women and recent graduates deal with “imposter syndrome”, the idea that they do not belong within a company or deserve their job, what is your advice for overcoming this?
LS: We cannot let ourselves be defined by someone else’s opinion. Women belong and deserve to be in every professional field.
HC: If you were not a college president, what would your dream job be?
LS: I’d love to be a singer, but since I can’t sing a note, that career is decidedly off the table!
HC: What is your biggest piece of advice for women in the workplace?
LS: Aim for the stars. Speak up for yourself. Do not let others define you.
HC: What is a fun fact about you that the SMC community might not know?
LS: I once met Tommy Lee Jones. I asked him whether, in the movie The Fugitive when he was pursuing Harrison Ford through a real-life Saint Patrick’s Day parade, he had heard someone in the crowd yell, “Hey, Tommy!” He responded, “No! You should be a sound editor!”
I would like to thank President Sterritt for this interview during such a chaotic time for SMCVT and the world.