Brooke Barnett Named 16th President of Rollins College

The Rollins College Board of Trustees today announced Brooke Barnett, Ph.D., as the 16^th president of Rollins College. She will begin her term on July 1, 2025, following President Grant H. Cornwell’s retirement on June 30, 2025. 

President Cornwell first shared his forthcoming retirement in a statement sent to the college community on April 23. 

During his ten years at Rollins, the president accomplished and headed many important initiatives, such as expanding DEIB efforts, developing new spaces on campus like the upcoming East End Neighborhood and new Tennis & Golf Complex, and leading the college through an unprecedented global pandemic. 

The Sandspur began coverage of President Cornwell’s retirement last spring as students expressed their initial reactions at the news. The paper has since followed the 7 month-long search, providing updates from the committee led by Orlando Evora (’82), Trustee and Presidential Search Committee Chair. Barnett was chosen out of more than 150 applicants. 

Evora spoke on the search process. “We were looking for a servant leader, a leader who is a champion of the liberal arts who respects shared governance and the decision-making process,” he said. “We found that leader in Brooke Barnett.” 

Barnett will follow Cornwell’s 10-year term (2014-2025) legacy. A list of Rollins’ former presidents, since the college’s founding in 1885, is as follows:  

• Edward P. Hooker, 1^st President (1885-1892) 

• Charles Fairchild, 2^nd President (1893-1895) 

• George Morgan Ward, 3^rd President (1896-1902) 

• William Blackman, 4^th President (1902-1915) 

• Calvin H. French, 5^th President (1917-1919) 

• Robert Sprague, 6^th President (1923-1924) 

• William Weir, 7^th President (1924-1925) 

• Hamilton Holt, 8^th President (1925-1949) 

• Paul Wagner, 9^th President (1949-1951) 

• Hugh F. McKean, 10^th President (1951-1969) 

• Jack B. Critchfield, 11^th President (1969-1978) 

• Thaddeus Seymour, 12^th President (1978-1990) 

• Rita Bornstein, 13^th President (1990-2004) 

• Lewis M. Duncan, 14th President (2004-2014) 

• Current: Grant H. Cornwell, 15^th President (2014-Present) 

Barnett spoke on her incoming position at Rollins. “I was immediately drawn to the Rollins College mission to educate students for global citizenship and responsible leadership and to prepare them for meaningful lives and careers. I’m eager to join the Rollins community and have the opportunity to get to know the students, faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as the broader Winter Park and Central Florida area,” she said. “Student learning, well-being, and graduate readiness are central to why I have spent my career in higher education. Engaging with students and working alongside faculty and staff to help students flourish brings me joy.” 

The campus community is invited to greet Brooke Barnett this afternoon at 1 p.m. in Kathleen W. Rollins Hall for a celebratory introduction and festive refreshments. 

To stay up to date on Barnett’s presidency, please continue to follow The Sandspur’s coverage. There will be more to follow in the near future.