Leadership
Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson
Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson became Westminster College’s 15th president on July 1, 2016. Her tenure began with leading faculty and through the collaborative development of a student-focused strategic plan. This plan has grounded many of Westminster’s achievements during the past six years. The College has completed more than $45 million in campus improvements, including the renovation and expansion of the Hoyt Science Center; the addition of three new athletic fields; renovations in the Memorial Field House and Wallace Memorial Chapel; significant upgrades throughout several residence halls; and replacement of the campus wifi network. A Cultural Center opened in fall 2022 as the College continues to implement its strategic plan for diversity and equity, and the federally-funded TRIO Student Support Services program, established during Dr. Richardson’s presidency, lends additional assistance to first-generation students and those with other equity markers. New degree programs in nursing, environmental studies, marketing and professional sales, music technology, sports management, and a master of business administration have been added to the curriculum. Westminster’s accreditation was reaffirmed under Dr. Richardson’s leadership, and the nursing program also gained accreditation.
The theme of Dr. Richardson’s presidency has focused on the “We in Westminster,” emphasizing collaborative networks and the collective responsibility that arises out of a college education. To this end, Dr. Richardson has been an important partner across the Pittsburgh region and Commonwealth. She serves on and has provided leadership for the Lawrence County Regional Chamber, the Economic Development Corporation of New Wilmington, the Presidents Athletic Conference, the Association of Presbyterian Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. She was recognized in City and State Pennsylvania magazine’s 2022 and 2023 Higher Education Power 100.
Before coming to Westminster College, Richardson was provost and professor of communication at Berry College, Mt. Berry. A highly regarded scholar, Richardson co-authored Media Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, which is now in its 12th edition, and Applied Public Relations: Cases in Stakeholder Management, in its 3rd edition. Richardson served as editor of Journalism and Communication Monographs and was co-editor of the National Forensic Journal.
She was a member of the editorial board of Mass Communication & Society and the Journal of Mass Media Ethics. In 2014, she was recognized as the Alumna Scholar of the Year by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication of the University of Georgia. In 2012, she received the Professor of the Year award from the Small Programs Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Dr. Richardson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Religion/Philosophy, summa cum laude, from Shorter College, a master’s degree in journalism and a doctorate in mass communication from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. She completed additional graduate coursework in communication at the University of Oklahoma.
She is married to Dr. Randy Richardson and has two adult stepchildren.
A Letter from President Richardson, December 2024
Dear Friends of Westminster College,
What’s the most exciting journey you’ve ever undertaken? You may recall your first airplane flight or long train ride, or the first time you saw the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps you have hiked (at least part of!) the Appalachian or the Pacific Crest Trails or biked across southern France or southern Pennsylvania. Regardless of the destination, journeys usually bring with them the opportunity to gain new perspectives and insights that build memories that last.
We frequently describe the undergraduate college experience as a journey. Students and their parents may begin visiting prospective colleges during the second or third year of high school, seeking to identify the institution that seems to best match their dreams and interests. As the search narrows, students complete the application processes and make a deposit so their reservation is secured. Soon after high school graduation, students begin to pack and plan for orientation, move-in day and their first term of classes—important steps for these educational travelers.
Clearly, the college journey is more than just the initial selection and enrollment process. Here at Westminster, alongside introductory courses in their majors, Titans launch their journey to graduation by enrolling in Inquiry, the course that introduces them to the idea of a liberal arts education, helping them explore “classic and emerging questions” as well as teaching them to “exchange ideas within a supportive learning community,” according to the Undergraduate Catalog. In their first year, they also complete a writing course and a speech course to hone these critical communication skills, and a course called Westminster 101 that offers practical advice and strategies for managing the transition from high school to college.
The journey also includes courses in foreign language; humanity and culture; quantitative reasoning; religious and philosophical thought and tradition; scientific discovery; social thought and tradition; and visual and performing arts, with a variety of course choices in each area. They also complete a cluster requirement, which is an interdisciplinary experience that reinforces students’ ability to see issues from multiple perspectives. At the same time, work in their major field leads to a senior capstone course that serves as the culmination of their major area and demonstrates their communication and problem-solving abilities.
We know that from their initial days on campus, our Titans begin a critically important journey, one that will have moments of great excitement but also moments of challenge. From the Student Success Center to the Professional Development and Community Engagement Office, from the faculty advisor to the resident assistant, supportive faculty, staff, coaches and upperclass students and alumni are available to serve as key resources and guides.
As students journey through the Westminster Plan, they have opportunities to explore three experiential pathways that the faculty identify as signature strengths: leadership and service, undergraduate research, and the entrepreneurial spirit. Titans join clubs and organizations, compete in athletics, perform in the arts, and participate in service activities. Students complete one or two internships or study internationally or through a domestic travel course. Some of these courses, co-curricular and extracurricular activities bring with them great satisfaction; others seem to be filled with tough challenges. Along this journey as a Titan, the first term becomes the third and the sixth—and all too quickly, the first-semester senior faces the joyful and terrifying uncertainty of choosing their first destination after Commencement.
We believe that a Westminster education that is built on the strong foundation of timeless liberal arts and the achievement of personal and professional growth leads to graduates with the “competencies, commitments and characteristics that have distinguished humankind at its best.” Our alumni demonstrate the impact of this education as they engage in lifelong learning that enriches their lives and their careers. The Titan education is truly a journey for a lifetime!
Thankful for the journey—
Dr. Kathy B. Richardson
President of Westminster College