WELCOME TO SU
Stevenson is happy to welcome its seventh president,
Elliot Hirshman, Ph.D., starting on July 3, 2017.
Hirshman joins the University after serving as
president of San Diego State University (SDSU) since
2011. Under President Hirshman’s leadership, SDSU
implemented an integrated budget and financial
strategy; raised more than $800 million in private
philanthropy for scholarships and new initiatives
and programs; and established and endowed its
Honors College.
Ventures (V): You’re coming from serving as pres-
ident at a research institution with an enrollment
of 33,000-plus students and previously, you were
the provost at UMBC, a public university with just
under 14,000 students. Stevenson is a more tradi-
tional liberal arts institution with an enrollment of
4,100 students. What perspectives do you antici-
pate bringing to your new role here?
However, this will not be Hirshman’s first time in
Baltimore. Prior to his tenure at SDSU, Hirshman
served as provost and senior vice president for
Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC). Previously, Hirshman
was chief research officer at the George Washington
University and chaired the Department of Psychology
there and at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Hirshman and his wife, Jeri, have been married for
nearly 28 years. Jeri is a registered nurse who enjoys
participating in local and national film festivals.
Elliot Hirshman (EH): Let me share two. First is
that I focus on all aspects of student develop-
ment, from personal to professional. If we focus
on what Stevenson has to offer each of our stu-
dents, we can help them achieve their greatest
aspirations. Second, I embrace Stevenson’s spirit
of collaboration. Everyone at the University helps
students excel. All members of the community
come together to support students’ holistic de-
velopment.
Their daughter, Wendy, graduated from Muhlenberg
College and is now married and living in Northern
V: How do you define a liberal arts education?
Virginia. Their son, Nathan, is a student at the Duke
University School of Medicine.
To help introduce Hirshman to the broader
Stevenson community—alumni, students, faculty,
staff, and friends—Ventures magazine reached out
to learn more about him, his vision, and ways the
University will benefit from his extensive higher
education experience.
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VENTURES/SUMMER 2017
EH: I see a liberal arts education as a wonder-
ful opportunity to help students prepare for their
lives. Not just their careers, although that is im-
portant, but it also helps them develop habits
of mind, in terms of written and oral communi-
cations, as well as quantitative and qualitative
reasoning. When we help our students develop