Longtime Penn State dean, pioneer Susan Welch dies at 78. Here’s how she changed the university
Longtime Penn State dean Susan Welch, whom the new $100 million liberal arts building will be named after, died Monday, according to the university. She was 78.
Her cause of death was not immediately known. But the political science professor leaves a long and storied legacy, one respected on a national level.
“Susan was a role model, pioneer, visionary and incredible leader who helped make Penn State into the world-class university it is today,” Penn State President Eric Barron said in a written statement. “Her legacy is felt in countless ways — through outstanding academic programs, a robust research operation, a dramatic increase in student scholarships, investments in new centers and institutes and an all-encompassing commitment to the importance of a liberal arts education.
“We are fortunate Susan devoted her time and talents to Penn State for so long, and she will be greatly missed.”
Welch, who served 28 years as the dean for the College of the Liberal Arts (1991-2019), authored or co-authored eight books, wrote more than 170 peer-reviewed articles and has been cited more than 11,000 times. Her book “Understanding American Government” is a three-time winner of the American Government Textbook Award from the Women’s Caucus for Political Science. It is in its 14th edition.
Welch enrolled in the University of Illinois in 1961, finished her doctorate there in 1970 and then became an assistant professor of political science at the University of Nebraska, before later serving there as head of the Department of Political Science. She began her tenure at Penn State in 1991, as one of the nation’s few female deans.
“Susan Welch was one of the pioneers in the field of gender and politics; her work on women in legislatures and voters actually inspired me to study women as a graduate student as well,” said Lee Ann Banaszak, professor and head of the Penn State Department of Political Science. “Her research made similarly fundamental contributions to the study of race and ethnicity, legislatures, urban politics, and public opinion and mass behavior.”
The former dean, who stepped aside from her position to rejoin the PSU faculty in 2019, helped transform the liberal arts college. Among her accomplishments and achievements in Happy Valley, according to the university:
- When she started in 1991, the college had 50 endowed scholarships that offered about $70,000 annually to fewer than 100 students. In 2019, that grew to 625 endowments offering $4 million annually to undergrads and another $1 million annually to grad students.
- In 1991, Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts had 10 named professorships. In 2019, that grew to 50 — in addition to two named directorships and one named dean’s chair.
- In 1991, none of the college’s academic programs ranked in the upper half of the Big Ten rankings, let alone nationally. But, by 2019, a half-dozen of the college’s degree programs — anthropology, communication arts and sciences, English, political science, sociology and Spanish — ranked among the top 10 nationally in their respective disciplines, according to the National Research Council.
Her impact remains well-known among alumni and community members. Penn State’s “2021 Philanthropists of the Year,” Gene and Roz Chaiken, recently donated a publicly undisclosed sum that prompted the university to acquiesce to one of their requests: Don’t name the soon-to-be-constructed liberal arts building after them. Name it after Susan Welch.
The 142,000-square-foot Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building is scheduled to begin construction this summer, with an opening set for fall 2024.
“Susan has done so much for the college and the university, and we wanted to honor her by having the building carry her name,” Roz Chaiken told Penn State in January.
At the time, Welch said she was “touched and honored” by the Chaikens’ request.
Two-dozen funds have so far been established by others to honor Welch’s name. But philanthropy hasn’t just been limited to others; Welch and her late husband Alan Booth established nearly $3 million in endowments for the university.
“Susan understood the influential role philanthropy could play in advancing her vision for the liberal arts at Penn State, and she set a powerful and compelling example through her own generosity and through her engagement with thousands of donors — alumni and friends alike — in ensuring that vision was realized through philanthropy,” said O. Richard Bundy III, Penn State vice president for development and alumni relations. “She was a leader in every sense of the word, and her impact at Penn State will be felt for generations to come.”
The family plans to hold a private gathering to celebrate Welch’s life, according to the university. The College of the Liberal Arts will host a campus celebration honoring her in the “near future,” with more information to be released once plans are finalized.
Those looking to make donations in Welch’s memory can do so toward the Dean Susan Welch Centennial Graduate Endowment, the Delbert F. and Marie S. Welch Graduate Student Award, or the Chaiken Family Trustee Scholarship in College of the Liberal Arts.
This story was originally published March 30, 2022 at 4:45 PM.
