Colby-Sawyer names interim president

NEW LONDON — Colby-Sawyer College on Thursday named an interim president for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Laura Sykes, a member of the 1998 graduating class, will be the first alumna of the New London school to hold its top leadership position. 

Sykes spent 30 years at Colby-Sawyer as an educator and an administrator, including as academic vice president and dean of faculty. After retiring in 2023, she agreed to return and serve as interim president from mid-August through May 2025. 

“The trustees and I are thrilled that Laura agreed to put her retirement on pause to return to the college to lead us during this interim period,” said Lisa Hogarty, chairwoman of the school’s Board of Trustees, in a news release. “There is no one more ready and qualified to do the job.”

Sykes will replace outgoing President Susan Stuebner, who announced this week that she has accepted the presidency of Marietta College, a private, liberal arts school in Ohio. Stuebner has been Colby-Sawyer’s president for eight years. 

The college will conduct a national search for its 10th president, whose tenure would begin in June 2025.