Laura Skandera Trombley, Ph.D., is the 16th President of Southwestern University. The first woman to hold the top leadership position at Texas’s oldest university, Dr. Trombley began her term as president on July 1, 2020.
“It is fitting that Southwestern University starts this new decade in historic fashion. Dr. Trombley’s reputation and body of work in higher education is truly impressive. She is a gifted scholar, proven leader, and passionate advocate for liberal arts education.”
- Stephen G. Tipps, Chair of Southwestern University’s Board of Trustees.
About Laura Skandera Trombley
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’s 2023 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.