Elizabeth Kiss ' 83 Named Eighth President of Agnes Scott College
President of Agnes Scott College Elizabeth Kiss '83
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6/26/2006
Contact: Bill Giduz 704/894-2244 or bigiduz@davidson.edu
Elizabeth E. Kiss ’83, the Nannerl O. Keohane director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics and an associate professor of the practice of political science and philosophy at Duke University, has been unanimously elected president of Agnes Scott College.
“I’ve had the good fortune to be educated at a liberal arts college, and now to be returning to a liberal arts college,” said Kiss, a magna cum laude alumna of Davidson and the college’s first female Rhodes Scholar.
Kiss (pronounced “keesh”) received her D.Phil. in philosophy from Oxford University, where she studied after graduating from Davidson. In addition to Duke, she has taught at Randolph-Macon College, Princeton University, and Deep Springs College. Deep Springs is the smallest college in the nation, for twenty-four, self-governing male students who also run a cattle ranch during two years there, then continue their educations at highly selective colleges. Kiss also was a fellow at Harvard University and with the National Humanities Center. In 1997, she became founding director of the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke.
She will begin her presidency of Agnes Scott, one of the nation’s premier women’s colleges, on Aug. 1, after what she calls “an emotionally rich time of passage.” Kiss speaks of handing “on” projects rather than handing them “off,” subtle linguistic testament to the kind of forward-looking enthusiasm and diplomacy that prompted Agnes Scott’s board of trustees to invite her candidacy.
“Dr. Kiss offers the blend of experience and intellect required to lead Agnes Scott,” said Harriet King, chair of the college’s board of trustees. “Her sparkling intellect, charismatic and inclusive personality, rich academic experience, deep understanding of the liberal arts, global perspective, and energy make Elizabeth particularly suited to lead Agnes Scott. Her focus on ethics mirrors Agnes Scott’s core values.”
Kiss, who has been a member and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Davidson College, said alma mater has continued to be a source of learning for her long after her own graduation. “Serving on the Davidson Board of Trustees has meant connecting with the college in a new way,” she said, “and an opportunity to see the exciting ways Davidson has grown, and to be involved with that and to think of institutional leadership in a broader way.”
She sees a unique opportunity at Agnes Scott to support, refine, and strengthen the role and influence of women in the world today.
“The focus on women is really the most exciting thing happening today in the global human rights movement,” said Kiss, a first-generation American whose parents supported the Hungarian Revolt of 1956. The family later fled the Communist regime for the United States.
“I am looking forward to working with others at Agnes Scott to develop the college’s next strategic plan. I’m excited about developing the college as an incubator for women’s leadership through what might be called The Agnes Scott Experience—a set of core experiences for all Agnes Scott students, centered on the liberal arts, on writing, speaking, and leadership development, and on internships and learning opportunities in Atlanta and around the world,” she said.
Diversity continues to be of increasing importance at Agnes Scott, added Kiss, with 22 percent African-American enrollment and a growing international population of students.
“We will be looking for ways to be intentional in building community and bringing people together, as well as celebrating and learning from our differences,” she said.
Among her professional affiliations, Kiss has maintained an active role in the Rhodes Scholarship selection process, serving as secretary to the North Carolina Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee from 1998 to 2003. She has served as a member of Rhodes Scholarship state selection committees in five states, from North Carolina to Nevada.
Kiss’s husband, Jeff Holzgrefe, is a teacher and academic administrator whose focus is international relations and ethics. He recently was appointed to teach the core undergraduate ethics class at The Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University. He has taught at Princeton University, Oxford University, St. Andrews College in Scotland, and Deep Springs College. A native of Australia, he received a B.A. in politics from Monash University in Victoria, Australia in 1981 and a M.Phil. in international relations from Oxford University in 1985.
Founded in 1889 and with a current enrollment of 1,000 young women, Agnes Scott College holds strong traditions of Presbyterian heritage, honor code, and the liberal arts.
“All of those things evoke alma mater, which is so dear to me,” said Kiss.
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for 1,700 students. Since its founding by Presbyterians in 1837, the college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine. Davidson has recently completed “Let Learning Be Cherished,” a $250 million campaign in support of student financial assistance, academic resources, and community life.
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