Dr. Susan Aldridge Sets Her Sights on Jefferson’s Third Century

Dr. Susan Aldridge has worked at five universities in her decorated higher education career. Jefferson’s special DNA sets it apart from the rest.

“I’ve talked to hundreds of students this past year and asked them what they like most about being at Jefferson,” University President Dr. Aldridge shares. “They describe a very nurturing environment with faculty and staff. The students say, ‘The people here really care about me.’ As long as we stay true to our commitment to our students and improving their lives, we will have a phenomenal third century.”

Jefferson appointed Dr. Aldridge the first female president in May after naming her interim president last summer. With her inauguration set for Oct. 9, she discusses her first year at the University, being president during Jefferson’s Bicentennial, goals for the future and more.

What have you enjoyed the most about your first year here?
Meeting the students and getting to know the incredible talent we have at Jefferson. I enjoy every moment I spend with the students. They’re smart, focused on their studies and seriously dedicated to our communities. We’ll be in good hands when they launch their careers.

We’re fortunate to have many long-time staff and faculty members dedicated to our students. They have helped me build on the legacy of this great institution. We have a rich history and a bright future ahead of us.

How has it been serving as president during Jefferson’s Bicentennial?
Seeing everything we’ve accomplished over the past 200 years is humbling. Our role for the future is to put Jefferson on a solid path to success, building on this legacy and not forgetting what makes us special.

I want to take advantage of opportunities that will make us even stronger and differentiate us as a university focused on the professions of the future—including ones that might not be designed yet—and for our students to graduate with the values, empathy and commitment to community that will serve them.

What do you think are some of your biggest accomplishments so far?
We’ve had a whirlwind year with many accomplishments to celebrate, such as the LCME accreditation for Sidney Kimmel Medical College and six other successful accreditations for our academic programs. This is a major accomplishment because our faculty and staff spend hundreds of hours preparing for these accreditation visits. They’re a tough look at the academic quality, so our faculty and students should be incredibly proud of this stamp of approval.

Next, the National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center designation for the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center positions Jefferson exactly where we should be in cancer research. I’m incredibly proud of Dr. Andrew Chapman and his researchers for this achievement.

We also promoted Dr. Matt Baker to provost and hired Dr. Said Ibrahim as the dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Dr. Ibrahim brings to us extraordinary experience as a physician and researcher. He will lead us into the third century thinking about health disparities, community impact and building bridges between Jefferson Health and its physicians and University researchers.

Plus, our combination with Lehigh Valley Health Network is a success for the entire enterprise. It allows us to add more clinical placements and opportunities for our students, and the 65,000 employees can either finish their degrees or obtain master’s and doctoral degrees with us. We will expand our footprint for research and new clinical trials.

I also want to recognize our successful Fashion Film and Runway Show; Tom Shirley for being named the CACC Coach of the Year for the third time; and our many student-athletes honored for their academic achievements.

Finally, I want to acknowledge our enrollment management team. We had the FAFSA challenges of a century here, with students and families unable to obtain information. Under Erin Finn Saraceni’s leadership, our enrollment management team worked tirelessly to ensure families and students had the necessary information and felt confident they should come to Jefferson. I’m grateful to them for their leadership role. It was a herculean effort across the board.

Where do you see some of the biggest growth areas for Jefferson, and what are your major future priorities?
Of course, we have opportunities in health. Currently, 17% of our graduates are hired by Jefferson, and 30% of our medical students match into a Jefferson Health hospital or one of its affiliates. The expansion of Lehigh Valley and our 32 hospitals provides opportunities for all our health professions and researchers. We hope to grow from 17% job placement in Jefferson to about 25%.

Now, as the largest employer in Philadelphia with 65,000 employees, we will have jobs. This will differentiate us from every other university in our region and allow us to recruit students. They will have clinical placements and internship opportunities not available at other institutions.

The enterprise also hires Jefferson graduates specializing in real estate and construction, data analytics, business and computational science. These critical areas for our future will guide our academic growth. The more we know about our Pennsylvania population and their unique needs, the better our education and health strategies. It allows us to be more efficient as an enterprise, which will be the hallmark of our future—to really understand the impact and outcomes for our students, patients and clients.

This fall, we launched the BS in health insurance management program, which will provide higher education opportunities for employees and Jefferson Health Plans and insurance companies across the U.S.

With these great minds at Jefferson, we have unlimited opportunities. Jefferson has a legacy of innovation and design with a focus on professions. We have an incredibly bright future because we have brilliant professionals dedicated to making a difference.

What are some of the biggest challenges in higher education today?
The cost of education is a challenge for families and students. They look for value for the investment. Jefferson students are focused on careers, not just jobs. Fortunately, this is a tremendous success area for us.

Undergraduates achieve a 97% employment and grad school success rate, and 24% of graduates from East Falls Campus go into master’s degree programs at Jefferson. Our deans and faculty design academic programs to give these students clear pathways into master’s degree programs. This has been a hallmark of success.