The longtime president of the nation’s second oldest women’s college is in her final few months before she retires. Longtime Stephens College president Dianne Lynch is finishing her 16th and final year as president at Stephens in Columbia, which was founded in 1833. She joined host Fred Parry in-studio this weekend on 939 the Eagle’s "CEO Roundtable" and tells listeners that Stephens has an incredibly rich, consistent history of being first in innovating around education, teaching and learning. She also says it’s important to have new leadership after 16 years, including fresh ideas. One of the things she’s most proud of during her 16 years is the millions of dollars that have been poured into campus improvements. That includes roof work, air conditioning work and windows. Stephens has invested more than $13-million in campus improvements in the past three years. President Lynch is also proud that the chapel has been restored. Stephens’ enrollment numbers are solid: they welcomed their largest undergraduate class in a decade this past fall, with its fall class up 60 percent from the fall of 2023. President Lynch will be moving back to Vermont, and will miss Columbia. She describes it as the friendliest community, and will miss her favorite spots like Murry’s, the Heidelberg and Ragtag. It’s no secret that President Lynch’s favorite food is the onion rings and dinner salads at Murry’s. She also addressed the sensitive issue of downtown Columbia’s security during the one-hour interview. President Lynch describes downtown Columbia as vibrant and awesome, adding that it’s 95 percent safe. There’s one other note about President Lynch that will be part of her legacy: she secured the largest gift in Stephens’ history: a $2.5 million annual donation in perpetuity, effective doubling Stephens’ endowment”

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