Connie Ledoux Book, Ph.D.

Dr. Connie Ledoux Book is a passionate advocate for higher education and its power to transform students’ lives. She spent 16 years as an Elon University faculty member and administrative leader before accepting a groundbreaking role in 2015 as the first female provost and chief academic officer at The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina. She returned to Elon as its ninth president in 2018.

Under President Book’s leadership, Elon was reclassified as a Doctoral/Professional university and debuted among the top 100 National Universities in U.S. News & World Report in 2019. Elon has since earned a #1 ranking for undergraduate teaching for five consecutive years, a #8 ranking for “most innovative” university, and recognition as the only institution named to the top 10 in all eight categories tied to student success.

In 2020, President Book led creation of the 10-year Boldly Elon strategic plan to advance the university’s national leadership in engaged and experiential education, mentoring, and student success. Innovative academic programs have been established in engineering, nursing, science, and technology, alongside major investments in health and wellness, professional development for faculty and staff, and the Division of Inclusive Excellence.

Many new facilities have opened during her presidency, including the Innovation Quad, Schar Center, Sankey Hall, the Koenigsberger Learning Center, and The Inn at Elon. In 2024, Book led the historic establishment of an Elon campus in Charlotte, home to the School of Law’s Flex Law program and undergraduate offerings in sport management. She also spearheaded the Elon LEADS campaign, which raised $260 million for 287 new endowed scholarships, eight new facilities, and three professorships.

Before her presidency, Book served as the first female provost and dean in The Citadel’s 175-year history, where she established the institution’s first faculty senate; redesigned the core curriculum; launched degrees in mechanical engineering, nursing, and cyber security; and led record growth of the graduate college. With her support, the institution reached record enrollment for Black, female, and Latino first-year students.

A national advocate for access to education, Book is past chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and serves on the boards of the American Council on Education and NCICU, among others. Locally, she created the Alamance Scholars Program, an educational pathway from high school through Alamance Community College to Elon for students pursuing careers as teachers.

Book began her career as a television producer and reporter in Louisiana before transitioning to higher education. She earned her doctorate from the Grady College of Journalism at the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from Northwestern State University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana State University. She is the author of Digital Television: DTV and the Consumer.

Book comes from a large Louisiana family that instilled in her a deep belief in education. Her children are Bella Book, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the University of Michigan Law School, and Joe Book, a graduate of Elon University and North Carolina State University.