Haverford College alumni, families and friends will get a direct look at how the college plans to stay financially healthy as it navigates a presidential transition and a shrinking pool of college-age students nationwide.
The college announced a Fords Forum on financial planning and long-term sustainability for Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. The panel will feature President Wendy Raymond, Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration Yvonne Berry, and Finance Committee co-chairs Seth Bernstein '84 and Thien Le '05. Bernstein chairs the Board of Managers' Finance Committee; Le serves as assistant chair.
The program will conclude with a live Q&A. All members of the Haverford community are welcome.
A leadership transition and a strategic plan in motion
The forum comes as Raymond prepares to leave. She announced in November 2025 that she will retire in June 2027 after more than six years leading the college. The Board of Managers is conducting a nationwide search for her successor, with a new president expected to arrive in mid-2027.
That leadership change lands in the middle of Haverford 2030, the college's strategic plan. The plan calls for a south-campus gateway complex, paid internships for every student, carbon neutrality by 2033, new housing and a four-year pathways program, among other initiatives.
Broader pressures on small colleges
The college's forum announcement acknowledged the challenges facing small liberal arts institutions, citing demographic shifts, evolving government policies and uncertain economic conditions. A Huron Consulting Group forecast found that 442 of the nation's 1,700 private nonprofit colleges could close in the next decade. Hampshire College in Massachusetts announced in April it will shut down at the end of 2026.
Haverford is not in that category. Its Class of 2029 enrolled 399 students from 6,730 applicants, a 13.3% admit rate, and the college ranks among the more heavily endowed small institutions in the country. But the forum announcement made clear the administration wants to show how it is budgeting through uncertainty, stating the panel will address how Haverford's budget reflects institutional priorities and what strategies are in place for long-term resilience.
In her November 2025 retirement letter, Raymond wrote that she made the decision "with a full heart and after much reflection," framing the transition as an opportunity for the college's next chapter.
