This is an archived UW-P news item,
originally posted: 7/31/2009.
Q&A: Dr. Deborah Ford
Dr. Deborah Ford becomes the sixth chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Aug. 1, 2009. She takes the helm at the campus after serving as vice president of student affairs at the University of West Florida in Pensacola for the past six years. She was vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, for more than 13 years. She received a bachelor of science degree in Counseling and Guidance from the University of Louisville, a master of education degree in College Student Personnel Administration from Indiana University, and returned to Louisville to earn her doctor of education degree in Educational Administration. In a phone interview conducted prior to her arrival on campus, Chancellor Ford talked on a variety of subjects ranging from her leadership style and background to her priorities for the campus and her plans to help students and to connect with UW-Parkside alumni.
Q: What kind of leader are you?
A: In terms of leadership, I'm a collaborative leader. I believe in working as a team and engaging with the various constituency groups on campus to make UW-Parkside a great place to learn, a great place to live, and a great place to work.
Q: Can you give us an idea about who is Dr. Deborah Ford?
A: I am a first generation college student. My parents definitely encouraged me and my sisters to pursue higher education and they made sacrifices so that we could go to college. I am the oldest child in my family and sort of paved the way. My sisters are both teachers so all three of us are striving to make an impact everyday in education.
I had wonderful mentors at the University of Louisville and they encouraged me to get involved to make a very large campus feel smaller. I was a leader in my sorority, Student Government, and served as an orientation leader. It is those experiences, I believe, that really defined my pathway in higher education. As an orientation leader, I had the opportunity to work with new students and my foundation for student success was established. One of my mentors, who was the director of orientation at the time, encouraged me to get my masters degree and I attended Indiana University and earned a graduate degree in College Student Personnel Administration. While at IU, I worked in housing and residence life, the dean of students office, and Greek Affairs. Each of these experiences further defined my focus on student success and higher education.
I then came back to Louisville and started as the coordinator for student development at Spalding University and two years later the dean of students retired and I was selected to be the dean of students. After 13 and half years at Spalding, I went to the University of West Florida to serve as the Vice President of Student Affairs. Throughout my career I have had many wonderful opportunities and I believe strongly in student success and have a passion for education.
Q: What made you interested in the chancellorship at UW-Parkside?
A: The opportunity to continue to work with first generation students was a big interest to me. When I read the profile for UW-Parkside I thought, "Wow, this sounds like a very special place, a place I'd like to know more about." And the mission, the vision, and the values of the institution came together in terms of academic excellence, inclusiveness, diversity, and community engagement. Those are all aspects that are of critical importance to institutions of higher education and Parkside embodies all of these characteristics. I hope as chancellor to build upon the aspects of excellence in teaching and learning, community engagement, and diversity and inclusiveness.
Q: One of UW-Parkside's historic strengths has been its ability to attract faculty who excel in teaching and research. What importance do you place on work in the classroom and scholarly inquiry outside the classroom?
A: I place a great deal of importance on teaching, learning, and scholarship and look forward to working with UW-Parkside's excellent faculty. While on campus during the interview process, I visited the Faculty and Student Research, Creative Activity, and Engagement Showcase and I was impressed with the quality and breadth of research led by the faculty. I'm interested in learning more about UW-P faculty interests and projects and I will continue to support research opportunities between faculty and students. I plan to meet with the University Committee, the faculty senate, academic chairs, and deans to learn more about the university's academic programs and how we can work together.
Q: What is the top academic priority you will have when you arrive on campus?
A: There are a couple of things. First and foremost is to work with the provost search committee to attract the best possible provost for UW-Parkside. The second one is to begin to look at our student success, persistence, and retention rates to see what we can do as a campus community to improve the graduation rates of our students at Parkside.
Q: What are the other top priorities for your first year at UW-Parkside?
A: We have to complete the work Chancellor Lane Earns started on the strategic planning process. It is my hope, in less than a year, to roll out a comprehensive strategic plan. I have read all the notes that the committee has put together and it looks like we have a great foundation to complete the plan and move forward.
Q: Why is a strategic plan so important?
A: Strategic planning guides the future direction of the university and it is my hope that the strategic planning process will be embraced by everyone on campus. The plan will allow us to have a common vision and common goals as we position UW-Parkside for continued success. One of the things I talked about during the interview is that in budget allocation and reallocation processes we need a comprehensive plan to help drive those decisions.
You asked about the priorities that I believe are essential in my first year. I believe there are five key issues: (1) to hire a great provost, (2) to complete the strategic planning process, (3) to begin the process for the reaccreditation visit in 2012-2013 with the Higher Learning Commission (of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools), (4) to work with Vice Chancellor (Lenny) Klaver on exploring the next steps for a Comprehensive Capital Campaign, and (5) most importantly, to engage with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside community.
In order to tell the UW-P story, I have to learn more about the campus culture and I have to take the time and invest the energy in walking around and meeting with groups--faculty, students, staff, alumni, and community members. Diane Donnelly, assistant to the chancellor, and I are working on the calendar to make sure that I have time to walk around campus and to meet people. We'll have formal meetings and informal meetings and I hope members of campus will let me know what they're thinking so we can create a comprehensive plan and strategic direction for moving forward.
Q: UW-Parkside students have many responsibilities?work, family, school. How can we help student better cope with their hectic lives?
A: You raise a good point about students having multiple responsibilities today. We have to think about how we can create and maintain a learning environment at Parkside where students can focus on their academics as their priority, and make some of the administrative processes easier and more seamless. I plan to have discussions about students' needs and how we can continue to make UW-P a great place to learn.
I have to tell you another story that happened on my last day at UWF. One of the students who graduated two years ago came by because he heard that I was leaving and he said "What am I going to do? You are everywhere! I see you at all the events." One of the things that I have to do along with the vice chancellors, the deans and other administrators, and our faculty and staff, is to be available as best we can when our students need us. One of the things that I'm very proud of and where I think my student affairs experience will help me is how to interact with students. It's the little things that will matter and we have to be accessible and approachable.
Q: What would you do to increase the involvement of UW-Parkside alumni?
A: First of all I need to learn about the initiatives and opportunities we have for UW-Parkside alumni. Parkside is a young institution and now is the time to build a strong foundation of alumni support. A few ideas to consider might include starting a student organization for alumni relations where a student group works with the alumni association to get involved so that when they graduate they already have a connection. There is also an opportunity to have Parkside alums in the area serve as mentors for students to help them be successful. We have to reach out to our alumni and say: "How do you want to be engaged with the university? Or how can we keep you engaged?" We want our alumni to be proud of their UW-Parkside experiences.
In July, I had lunch with two UW-Parkside alums who live in Pensacola and work at the University of West Florida. I called the luncheon a gathering of the "Northwest Florida Parkside Alumni Group." They shared a few ideas with me about alumni engagement and they spoke very highly of their UW-Parkside learning experiences. My plan is to meet with other Parkside alumni groups to listen and to learn.
Q: What importance, if any, do you place on athletics?
A: I believe firmly in the role that athletics plays in the campus community. Athletics can serve as the front porch for the campus community and it can be the entry point for many people in the community to get engaged with the campus. I also believe in the mission statement of NCAA Division II which is "Life in the Balance." It is important to support our student athletes to help them be successful in the classroom, to grow as leaders and then to give back to the community.
Q: How does your family feel about this move?
A: We are all excited about the new adventure. We had a chance to visit the campus in June, so the children got a chance to see the community, meet a few folks and had a personal tour of the Parkside campus. They also got a chance to see their new school which has certainly lessened the anxiety of that part of the transition. We're looking forward to meeting new people and learning a new community?I guess it's "communities." And you'll be happy to know that our Florida neighbors gave us a snowman kit, dozer style ice scrapers, toe-warmers, and lip balm so it appears we are getting ready for the winter!Publish date: 7/31/2009
