CLOQUET — Minnesota State officials agreed to posthumously honor the late president of Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College.
The state college system’s board of trustees conferred on Wednesday the title of president emeritus to Stephanie Hammitt, who was the college’s president from 2019 to 2022 and a finance guru there for years beforehand. Hammitt, a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, died in November at age 60 after a brief battle with cancer .
Hammitt helped the college implement its first four-year degree program, get its nursing program reaccredited, and was at the forefront of its effort to build a new outdoor classroom. She was also Fond du Lac’s first female president and a staunch promoter of American Indian culture.
“Stephanie was a quiet soul, but there was no doubt of her deep conviction and passionate commitment for her students, her community, and her culture and heritage,” Devinder Malhotra, Minnesota State’s chancellor, is quoted as saying in a Wednesday news release. Malhotra recommended her for the honor.
“She took seriously the responsibility of being a leader in the system and the state regarding enhancing access to post-secondary education for students from native communities and incorporating native issues in our programmatic structures and curricular paradigms,” Malhotra said of Hammitt. “She believed that each and every student that walked the halls of the college deserved the most robust support to achieve their full potential and academic success.”
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An emeritus title is meant to allow someone to retain a title after they have retired. At Minnesota State, it is an honor reserved for people who have served with great distinction, communications staff there said.
The college system’s board of trustees has similarly recognized Larry Anderson, who preceded Hammitt as Fond du Lac’s president. Trustees named him president emeritus of the college in 2019.
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