Susan Stuebner, Simpson College’s interim president, looks forward to meeting students throughout her first semester at Simpson, and there are a few things she wants students to know about her.
She has two labradoodles, Fencer and Flint, who she’ll occasionally bring around campus. She can’t wait to introduce them to the community when she walks them around.
Although Stuebner is originally from Minnesota, her career in higher education on the East Coast led her to be a New England Patriots fan, which she hopes won’t cause any hard feelings with fans of other NFL teams.
Stuebner most looks forward to interacting with students in her role as interim president, as they motivate her and are the reason she wanted to pursue a career in higher education.
“When I need a little balance, talking to a student walking across campus or going to see what you folks do and love really helps ground me,” Stuebner said. “Seeing you folks thrive gives me so much energy, I’ll definitely be around.”
Stuebner acknowledges she can’t be everywhere around campus all at once, but she plans on being visible to students as much as possible.
Being available to students was a priority for Stuebner at Colby Sawyer College, her former institution, according to Colby Sawyer’s 2022-25 student body president, Destiny Cruz.
Cruz worked closely with Stuebner in her role, meeting every two to three weeks to discuss Student Government Association matters, bigger issues around campus and student feedback.
At Colby Sawyer, Stuebner held office hours open to students, faculty and staff at least monthly, and she frequently spent time in their campus center.
“She’s very, very supportive of student activities. She blocks her schedule out in a way that she’s able to support different groups on campus,” Cruz said. “Anytime we had events or games, she would come and support, even if it was for a quarter.”
While at Colby-Sawyer, Stuebner doubled the endowment value during her tenure, increased graduate program enrollment and implemented DEI changes to curriculum, student life and policy. Stuebner also led Colby-Sawyer through a financial turnaround by eliminating deficit and rebuilding cash flow.
Another change Stuebner implemented at Colby Sawyer was a tuition reset. Despite the student body’s confusion and worry, Stuebner worked with Cruz to understand what students needed from her and did everything she could to alleviate their worries.
“When there’s really hard things going on around campus, she does stay in touch and stay in connection. Whether it’s a big or small issue, she’s been very great to go to, no matter what it is,” Cruz said.
Another one of Stuebner’s priorities at Simpson is to ensure students can share their feedback with her and the cabinet.
“I want the cabinet and me to be people that students feel comfortable coming to,” Stuebner said.
Stuebner is excited to experience her first semester at Simpson and learn more about the campus community.
