The Counseling Center seeks to eliminate the stigma surrounding assistance for mental health.
more informationSouthwestern University has partnered with Grupo Salinas and Centro Richard B. Salinas Pliego to create two new scholarships for high school students in Mexico.
more informationA group of Southwestern students took their devised theater play, The G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
more informationSept. 13, the entire SU community came together to build community during SUnity Day.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationThe Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Support Group offers a safe space for students to share and explore their gender identity.
more informationFifty years ago, Title IX was signed into law. The landmark legislation transformed women’s athletics. We look back at our history and pioneers as we continue to strive for equity in all we do.
more informationCatherine Hiebel ’22 and Melina Boutris ’22 will teach English in Spain and Austria, respectively.
more informationScholars and artists will explore Radical Imagination at Southwestern’s Brown Symposium.
more informationThe Counseling Center seeks to eliminate the stigma surrounding assistance for mental health.
more informationA group of Southwestern students took their devised theater play, The G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
more informationThrough the Southwestern Racial History Project, faculty and students are sharing their knowledge and expertise with colleagues through the Universities Studying Slavery consortium.
more informationSept. 13, the entire SU community came together to build community during SUnity Day.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationThe Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Support Group offers a safe space for students to share and explore their gender identity.
more informationFifty years ago, Title IX was signed into law. The landmark legislation transformed women’s athletics. We look back at our history and pioneers as we continue to strive for equity in all we do.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationA recognized leader in building successful athletics programs, Ken Ralph will join Southwestern University as athletic director effective Sept. 15.
more informationThe applied mathematician and Southwestern alumna will address the graduating class.
more informationSouthwestern University shows a dedication to including green spaces on campus as they have proven to benefit students.
more informationFeb. 23, the entire SU community came together to build community during the inaugural SUnity Day.
more informationThis initiative was announced in October 2021 as part of a $1 million commitment from an anonymous donor in honor of their mother, a lifelong educator, in order to allow more Southwestern students to benefit from high impact experiences as outlined in the Tactical Plan.
more informationScholars and artists will explore Radical Imagination at Southwestern’s Brown Symposium.
more informationSU celebrates five campus community members with the 2022 Mundy Awards and recognizes those who have achieved milestone anniversaries with the University.
more informationSouthwestern University has partnered with Grupo Salinas and Centro Richard B. Salinas Pliego to create two new scholarships for high school students in Mexico.
more informationThrough the Southwestern Racial History Project, faculty and students are sharing their knowledge and expertise with colleagues through the Universities Studying Slavery consortium.
more informationSept. 13, the entire SU community came together to build community during SUnity Day.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationA recognized leader in building successful athletics programs, Ken Ralph will join Southwestern University as athletic director effective Sept. 15.
more informationCatherine Hiebel ’22 and Melina Boutris ’22 will teach English in Spain and Austria, respectively.
more informationWhat happens when you start a devised theater project with three Southwestern University students and the Anton Checkov play, The Cherry Orchard? You end up with a nationally recognized production called G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event.
more informationSouthwestern University rose 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—and SU was also recognized as a top school in the Social Mobility category, which measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell Grants.
more informationFifty years ago, Title IX was signed into law. The landmark legislation transformed women’s athletics. We look back at our history and pioneers as we continue to strive for equity in all we do.
more informationCatherine Hiebel ’22 and Melina Boutris ’22 will teach English in Spain and Austria, respectively.
more informationWhat happens when you start a devised theater project with three Southwestern University students and the Anton Checkov play, The Cherry Orchard? You end up with a nationally recognized production called G.H.O.S.T. Unit: The Live Event.
more informationSTARS, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
more informationJahmaal and Jermaine Dumes ’17 give us an inside look into their time at SU and their new business, Down South Cajjun Eats!
more information
Dr. Laura Skandera Trombley is the 16th president of Southwestern University and its first woman president. In her inaugural year she led the development of a 5-Year Tactical Plan that has already resulted in many key improvements on campus ranging from student recruitment, advising and retention to major upgrades in student recreational, dining and housing amenities. She also led the development of a master plan that is transforming the campus with multiple enhancements to the built environment.
She recently led the university in a successful $80 million bond issuance that will help fund more than $120 million in improvements to campus including two new mixed-use residence halls, a baseball/softball fieldhouse, a new mixed-use Athletics Complex, and a major remodeling of historic Mood-Bridwell Hall.
This fall, after two years as president, Dr. Trombley welcomed one of SU’s largest incoming classes ever, while graduates from 2021 reported that 98 percent of them were employed, in graduate school, or volunteering. Under her leadership SU has also risen dramatically among the best liberal arts institutions in the nation, recently moving up 13 places in U.S. News & World Report’s2023 Best Colleges rankings—the biggest single-year jump in school history—while also being recognized as a top school for advancing the social mobility of recent graduates.
Prior to joining Southwestern Dr. Trombley served as the president of the University of Bridgeport. Under her leadership U.S. News & World Reportranked the University of Bridgeport for the first time among the top 381 national universities. She is also president emerita of Pitzer College, where she served for 13 years, and The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Previously, she served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
A tenured professor in SU’s Department of English, Dr. Trombley is the author of five books and is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished Mark Twain scholars in the world. A recipient of many awards for her scholarship, Dr. Trombley was recognized by The Mark Twain Journalas a Legacy Scholar in spring 2019 for her efforts in rehabilitating the intellectual reputations of the women who surrounded Mark Twain. In 2017 she won the Louis J. Budd Award for her contributions to Mark Twain studies.
Dr. Trombley graduated summa cum laude with a master of arts in English from Pepperdine University. She received her doctorate in English from the University of Southern California.