Torti

SALEM – Sylvia Torti, Salem High School Class of 1986, has been chosen as the 2026 SHS Honored Alumnus.

Torti is an ecologist, author, and higher education leader who serves as president of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. The Salem High School Alumni Association will recognize Torti during its 145th Annual Meeting and Scholarship Award Ceremony on Saturday, April 25, in the SHS auditorium.

Graduating seniors from the SHS Class of 2026 will be honored as they receive their scholarships, and Salem graduates pursuing postsecondary studies will be acknowledged. Classmates from the SHS Class of 1976, celebrating 50 years since graduation, are invited to attend and will be recognized during the program. The SHSAA Annual Meeting and Scholarship Award Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. in the SHS auditorium, followed by a catered Open House in the cafeteria.

Torti has years of experience in higher education, and began her tenure on July 1, 2024, as the seventh president of the College of the Atlantic (COA). COA is a private liberal arts college that awards bachelor’s and master’s degrees exclusively in human ecology, an interdisciplinary approach to learning. From 2012 to 2023, Torti served as dean of the Honors College at the University of Utah, a liberal arts college within a large research institution. Through dedicated strategic planning, she achieved ambitious goals, including tripling the diversity of the student body and increasing the number of out-of-state students. She also established a successful office to mentor students applying for nationally competitive scholarships and spearheaded a vision for globally oriented, integrated curricula in ecology, health, and human rights.

Before her 11-year tenure as dean, Torti served as director of the University of Utah’s Bonderman Field Station, a remote 400-acre facility along the Dolores River in southeastern Utah. Torti holds a PhD from the University of Utah School of Biological Sciences and a BA from Earlham College. She has a 30-year record of publication, including multiple scientific research papers, articles on pedagogy, two novels, and numerous short stories and essays. Her latest novel, Cages, was published by Schaffner Press in 2017.

SHSAA will introduce two new scholarships at this year’s ceremony – the Arthur and Gladys Wright Votaw Memorial First Responder Scholarship and the Cindy O’Brian Memorial Education Scholarship.

All SHS alumni and friends are encouraged to attend the scholarship ceremony and the SHSAA Open House reception that follows. No tickets are required, as the program and reception are fully funded by generous alumni and community business patrons.