Nicole Hurd
18th President of
Lafayette College
Assumed office
July 1, 2021
Preceded byAlison Byerly
Personal details
Born1970 (age 53–54)
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Notre Dame
Georgetown University
University of Virginia
WebsiteOffice of the President

Nicole Hurd (born 1970) is an American academic who became the 18th president of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, on July 1, 2021. She is the founder and CEO of College Advising Corps (CAC), the largest college access program in the country which aims to aid low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented high school students to enter and complete higher education.

Education

Hurd attended Marlborough School in Los Angeles,[1] and then went on to graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor's degree. She then went on to Georgetown University to earn her master's degree and afterwards earned a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia.[2]

Career

Hurd began her career at the University of Virginia where she served as an Assistant Dean and as the Director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence. It was at the University of Virginia where she created the College Guide Program which was the precursor to the College Advising Corps. Due to its initial success the College Guide Program received a $10 million grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation which allowed it to expand into ten other states.[2]

After the expansion of the College Guide Program, Hurd moved to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop the College Advising Corps.[3] Since its inception in 2005, it has helped an estimated 300,000 students enroll in college. Its goal of 1 million students is hoped to be reached by 2025.[3] Due to its success, Hurd was honored at the White House in 2016 as a "Champion of Change for College Opportunity".[4]

In 2018, Hurd was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Franklin and Marshall College,[1] and was recognized as one of Time Magazine's Top 31 People Who Are Changing the South.[3] She has also been recognized on The Chronicle of Higher Education's Influence List,[5][6] and Washington Monthly's list of most innovative people in higher education.[7]

On July 1, 2021, Hurd became the 18th president of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.[8]

Personal life

Hurd's husband, Bill, previously worked at Georgetown University in the athletics department. Together they have two children.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Nicole Farmer Hurd '88 Awarded Honorary Degree by Franklin and Marshall College". Marlborough. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Dr. Nicole Hurd". myFutureNC.
  3. ^ a b c Stevenson, Bryan (26 July 2018). "Meet the 31 People Who Are Changing the South". Time. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  4. ^ Stancill, Jane (1 October 2016). "White House honors leader of network of college advisers". The News and Observer. pp. A6. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. ^ Supiano, Becky (15 December 2014). "2014 Influence List: Messenger". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. ^ Stancill, Jane (16 December 2014). "Journalist, nonprofit leader honored". The News and Observer. pp. A3. Retrieved 19 July 2021 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  7. ^ Longman, Martin; Edelman, Gilad (29 August 2016). "The Sixteen Most Innovative People in Higher Education". Washington Monthly. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  8. ^ Snyder, Susan (19 May 2021). "A new president at Lafayette adds to a flurry of leadership changes at area colleges". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Get to Know Nicole Hurd". Our 18th President. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
Academic offices Preceded byAlison Byerly President of Lafayette College 2021–Present Succeeded byIncumbent
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