Dr. Aldridge is an accomplished higher
education leader who has been serving as the University's interim
president since July 2023
PHILADELPHIA, May 7, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Susan C. Aldridge, Ph.D., an accomplished and
widely recognized higher education leader, author and strategist
who has held executive leadership positions in some of the
country's largest universities, has been appointed the first female
president of Thomas Jefferson
University effective May 7,
2024.
"This is a pivotal moment in Jefferson's history and Dr.
Aldridge is the best person to usher in a new era for Thomas Jefferson University," said Jefferson's
CEO Joseph G. Cacchione, MD.
"I've been thoroughly impressed with her dedication to our
students, faculty and staff as both interim president and a past
member of Jefferson's Board of
Trustees. Her extensive higher education administration experience
and visionary leadership make her a natural fit to be our
University's next president."
During her tenure as interim president, Jefferson undergraduate students continued to
achieve great success in employment and graduate school acceptance
at the rate of 97%. The national average is about 86%. Jefferson's undergraduate and graduate
enrollments have grown. Jefferson's Medical and Pharmacy student Match
rates exceeded the national average.
In addition, Dr. Aldridge successfully completed a national
search for the Dean of
Jefferson's Sidney Kimmel Medical
College with the appointment of Said
Ibrahim, MD; the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center earned
Comprehensive Designation from the National Cancer Institute; and
she led the University through the initial phase of a new strategic
planning process, Creating our Third Century, in honor of
Jefferson's bicentennial
"Thomas Jefferson University is one
of the most distinctive institutions I've been affiliated with, and
I'm honored to have been asked to lead it into its third century,"
said Dr. Susan C. Aldridge,
President, Thomas Jefferson
University. "Today, we are a national doctoral research
university, and we are part of an anchor organization that also
includes Jefferson Health and Jefferson Health Plans. As a model
for professional university education, we are uniquely positioned
to educate tomorrow's leaders in an array of fields from
architecture and business, to medicine and health sciences,
nursing, design, engineering, fashion and textiles, population
health, and more."
Before serving on the Jefferson
Board of Trustees and as interim president for the University, Dr.
Aldridge most recently held the position of President of
Drexel University Online, where she
expanded and oversaw the university's virtual presence with more
than 100 online programs. She also spearheaded a research project
around innovative practices in technology-enhanced education, which
resulted in the award-winning, open-source website, Virtually
Inspired.
Before joining Drexel, she was a
Senior Fellow at the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities, where she co-authored the book, Wired for
Success, which provided university presidents with a wealth of
innovative, research-driven, technology-enhanced models for student
success and strategic business growth. Dr. Aldridge was the
Principal Investigator for several US Department of Health and
Human Service (HHS) grants and a national HHS proposal
reviewer. Previously, she was president of the University of Maryland Global Campus and vice
chancellor at Troy University.
Dr. Aldridge has been cited twice as one of Washington DC's Top 100 most powerful women;
and has received several awards from such higher education
organizations as the US Distance Learning Association, Women in
Technology and Campus Technology. Likewise, she was recognized by
the Governor of Colorado for her
exceptional leadership in healthcare service planning and delivery,
while also earning outstanding service awards from the US
Department of HHS and the Social Security Administration.
Having received her Bachelor's degree from Colorado Women's College, Dr. Aldridge completed
her Master's degree and PhD in public administration at the
University of Colorado.
Dr. Aldridge's headshot is available for download HERE.
About Thomas Jefferson
University
Thomas Jefferson University, founded
in 1824 as the Jefferson Medical College, is today a national
doctoral research university and a pioneer in transdisciplinary,
professional education. Home of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College
and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce,
Jefferson is a preeminent academic
institution delivering high-impact education in over 200
undergraduate and graduate programs to 8,400 students across 10
colleges. The University's academic offerings now include
architecture, business, design, engineering, fashion, health,
medicine, nursing, science, social sciences and textiles.
Jefferson is redefining the higher
education value proposition with an approach that is collaborative
and active; increasingly global; integrated with industry; focused
on research across disciplines to foster innovation and discovery;
and technology-enhanced. Student-athletes compete as the Jefferson
Rams in the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate
Conference.
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SOURCE Thomas Jefferson
University