New Lake Forest College President Has Deep Commitment to the Liberal Arts

By David A. F. Sweet Less than a month after assuming the presidency of Lake Forest College, Dr. Mike Sosulski was asked why he displayed a book about an architect on a shelf in his office. He explained that all the books present had been there when he arrived. "I have 10,000 volumes that have to be unpacked,” said Sosulski, who is an aficionado of German literature. “I have to be near my books. There will be a wall of them here in the spring.”

Mike Sosulski chats with a group of students early in his tenure at Lake Forest College. A broad range of knowledge is a requisite of a liberal arts education, such as that offered at LFC, and Sosulski’s personal library certainly testifies to his passion for information. In fact, he has embraced learning and teaching his entire life. His parents worked at the College of DuPage, and he picked up many ideas about higher education by listening to their dinner-table conversation. “I always felt liberal arts colleges were incredibly important institutions,” said Sosulski, who penned a defense of the humanities in the Chicago Tribune only weeks into his tenure. “One of the things I love about the liberal arts is it provides broad training with targeted depth in a major. That combination of breadth and depth is unique to the higher education experience. "The United States created the liberal arts. We understood we were training young people to be citizens, not subjects. Liberal arts colleges are where the humanities will continue to thrive.” A West Chicago native, many of Sosulski’s high school friends applied to Lake Forest College. He visited as a teenager and was struck by the beauty of the campus. During his years as a professor at Wofford College and Kalamazoo College, his appreciation for LFC grew. “From a professional standpoint, I learned about how many wonderful outcomes are produced here,” he said. “My early fondness grew into professional admiration as I learned about Lake Forest’s deep commitment to the liberal arts and practical student success. That struck me as unique. “I wasn’t on the job market, but when I heard of this opening, I was interested. I got a lot of Facebook messages from my high school friends when it was announced I’d be here.” Sosulski took over from interim president Rob Krebs, who has been impressed by the former’s fast start. “He has already hit the ground running,” Krebs said. “Mike’s experience as a professor, provost and president of small liberal arts colleges like Lake Forest College made him the perfect choice to be our next leader.” Sosulski had been president of Washington College in Maryland, another small liberal arts school which once received 50 guineas from its namesake, George Washington. But the Father of Our Country’s contribution was long spent by the time Sosulski faced an $11 million deficit early in his tenure. How did he respond? “When enrollment doesn’t meet projections, you have a deficit. We were able to increase applications 120 percent by hiring great people and by going digital first,” he explained. “We figured out where potential students are living and making sure they’re receiving timely messages about the college that entice them to engage on TikTok, Instagram. “We also tightened our budgets. We looked to reduce our spend without harming quality of the student experience.” Within two years, the deficit had been halved.  As a Washington College article noted, “He acted with deliberate and calm efficiency. He didn't rush into anything, and, importantly, he succeeded without making dramatic, drastic, or disruptive changes.” Sosulski said that he is stepping into a healthy situation at LFC in terms of applications, enrollment and immediate post-graduate success. The Gorter Family Career Advancement Center reported that in 2024, more than 95 percent of graduates were employed or enrolled in continuing education within six months of becoming alumni. Still, Sosulski realizes that despite half a dozen gifts of $5 million this year, the school’s endowment is far from adequate. “The only thing preventing us from being a top 50 institution rather than top 100 is our endowment,” said Sosulski, pointing out that the average endowment in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest is north of $500 million, whereas LFC is under $150 million. Thanks to gifts from Lake Forest families such as the Lillards and Browns, the campus is not in need of expensive new buildings. Sosulski sees the endowment serving another purpose. “One of the most compelling things for any donor is their gift making a difference in real lives,” he said. “Giving to the endowment has a way to opening pathways of affordability to students and their families that weren’t there before. It is a truly transformative experience for first-generation families going to college.” Sosulski himself attended Georgetown University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in German before procuring a master of arts degree and PhD in Germanic Studies down the road at the University of Chicago. Why the fascination with the German language? “I had a wonderful teacher in high school who was that inspiring leader, and she introduced me to German and took me abroad with rowdy teenagers to Bavaria,” he explained. “It was life-changing. I loved the language and the literature. “Linguistic variation attracted me as a student and faculty member. It’s endlessly fascinating. One of the things I love about LFC is its international flair. Many languages are spoken on this campus (where students represent more than 100 countries).” An avid sports fan, Sosulski is thrilled to follow the Chicago Cubs in person again. And in a first in the college’s 168-year-old history, the president attended a Forester football game in Arizona this season. Why play there against Claremont McKenna College? More than 50 LFC players are from the state, which sports few Division 3 colleges. “More than 2,000 were in the stands – it was a massive success,” said Sosulski of the game, whose attendance exceeded LFC’s enrollment of 1,800. “They had Lou Malnati’s pizza and Portillo’s at the game.” Though the Foresters lost the game, so far Sosulski feels like he’s in a winning situation. “I have had no negative surprises, just joyful discoveries,” he said. “I have been so impressed by the professionalism of the faculty and staff. I got to be the new guy while new student orientation was happening. It was such a welcoming experience. I’ve participated in many new student orientation programs, and this is the best I’ve seen it done. It’s gratifying.” This story was first published in Classic Chicago magazine.