Carleton College has officially had twelve presidents. As the college has grown and changed through the years, it is interesting to track the differences and similarities between its leaders. An interesting starting point for thinking about what Carleton is today, how it got that way, and where it is going can be found in the inauguration addresses of Carleton’s presidents.
We have posted the ten available speeches here (we do not have a record of President Strong’s speech, and there is no speech available for President Porter, who served as an interim president). These speeches, usually delivered to students at opening convocation (though in some cases given to the board of trustees), were chosen as indications of a president’s broadest initial holistic vision for Carleton College.
Carleton Presidents:
- James Woodword Strong (1870–1903)
- William Henry Sallmon (1903–1908)
- Donald John Cowling (1909–1945)
- Laurence McKinley Gould (1945–1962)
- John William Nason (1962–1970)
- Howard R. Swearer (1970–1977)
- Robert Edwards (1977–1986)
- David Porter (1986–1987)
- Stephen R. Lewis Jr. (1987–2002)
- Robert A. Oden Jr. (2002–2010)
- Steven G. Poskanzer (2010–2021)
- Alison R. Byerly (2021–)
Acknowledgments and Resources
Headley, Leal A. and Merill E. Jarchow. Carleton: The First Century. Northfield: Carleton College, 1966.
“History of the President’s Office.” Office of the President. Carleton College, 11 October 2011.
Speeches made available thanks to the Carleton Archives.