Retiring Stephens College president Dianne Lynch is in her 16th and final year as president of the nation’s second-oldest college. Stephens College was founded in Columbia in 1833 and has a rich 190-year history. President Lynch joined host Fred Parry in-studio this weekend on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. Stephens has welcomed its largest undergraduate class in a decade, with its fall class up 60 percent from last fall. Lynch credits the big jump in undergraduate enrollment to the college’s adoption this fall of a “block schedule”, where students enroll in one class at a time, with each class running three-and-a-half weeks. President Lynch tells listeners that it’s time for her to retire, saying there is a reason and a season for leadership. “And after 16 years, it’s time for somebody else. Fresh eyes, fresh ideas, fresh leadership style, to arrive and embrace this extraordinary community and to be the next president that does great things at Stephens.” She tells listeners that Stephens has been her life’s work. Board chair M. Anne Murphy praises President Lynch, saying Stephens has flourished under her leadership, adding that President Lynch’s impact on Stephens “will be felt for generations to come.” One of President Lynch’s signature achievements was securing the largest gift in Stephens’ history: a $2.5 million annual donation in perpetuity, effective doubling Stephens’ endowment. The school has also invested $13.5 million into campus improvements in the past three years, including roof work, air conditioning work and windows. President Lynch also updated Fred and our listeners on the nursing program at Stephens, and about how Boone Hospital Center is doing:

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