(Photo: Regis University)
What brought you to Regis University?
I had come to Colorado to get my PhD at the University of Northern Colorado. My degree is in applied statistics, and they were one of the few applied stats programs in the country. I fully expected to return to Ohio – where I had a job as a health system administrator – but during my graduate assistantship, I fell in love with teaching. I got on the web one night, just to look around, and Regis had a faculty position in the Health Services Administration Division, teaching research and statistics. It was only open for 48 more hours, so I shot off my application that night. It was just meant to be. That was 17 years ago. I taught for nearly a decade, then was associate dean and dean of Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions until spring of 2016, when I became Provost.
What is your favorite Jesuit value? Why?
Cura Personalis is my favorite, because it invokes compassion and yet a view of the whole person. I like the fact that we consider our students’ needs holistically – just as I did when I was in healthcare and had patients. It’s empowering to focus on student learning needs as well as their needs for transformative experiences.
What has been your fondest memory of Regis?
The day I was offered the Provost job. This is my capstone; everything I have learned in my forty-year career has brought me here, and that was my career high.
What has been your fondest memory as Provost?
A couple of weeks after the election, a group of students came to my office hours to discuss their concerns about the results. It was a heartfelt and invigorating conversation. While this might not seem something one would be “fond” of, it did show me that students were willing to have a dialog in a safe place. I was happy I could be open and listen to the students – and that they were talking to me instead of protesting my office!
Is there anything else you would like the Regis community to know?
This is my best and last job, and I love it! My single most important initiative will focus on assuring student success. To do that – I need to know what the students needs. Students should come by my office hours – they are open to faculty, staff, and students and I put out wine and cheese – as well as chocolate milk and homemade cookies. I love seeing the students mix with faculty, staff, and Jesuits who drop by. Every Thursday, 3:30 until 5, in Main Hall 217.
Samantha Jewell Social Media Editor