Indiana State University's new president Deborah Curtis says it's an important time for the university and that she hopes to use her position as "megaphone" to advocate for the school throughout the state.
The university's Board of Trustees voted to appoint Curtis to the position in November. She is an ISU alum and also the first woman president in the university's history. Curtis assumed office on Jan. 3.
We sat down with President Curtis just a few weeks into her position as president to discuss what she plans to bring to the job and her ideas for the future of the university.
This conversation has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Q: What does this position, being president of ISU, mean to you?
A: Well, truly for me, the foundation for my higher-ed career started at Indiana State when I completed my Ph.D work, so to be able to come and have a role in leading this institution is a wonderful opportunity. I used the word, "thrilled," a lot, and it seems like I'm saying it all the time, but it really does reflect how it feels. It's a closing of a loop that I would not have anticipated.
Q:What is your perspective coming to this job as an alumni?
A: I certainly do have an insight to the reputation of this institution which throughout its entirely, has been very strong. I know when I earned my Ph.D here at the beginning of my higher-ed career, you'd say to someone where you earned that. It was almost always was followed with, "That's a great institution."
This institution has continued to serve this state in that manner, so that's very important to me. I had not, perhaps, thought of pursuing a position like this. When I spoke with the search consultant, and I knew it was Indiana State, a place that I attribute a great deal of my foundation in higher-ed; I thought, "I have to look into this."
So researching the position, since I'd been gone so long, I was so enthused particularly with work by President Dan Bradley in the last 10 years. I looked at every one of the initiatives that has taken place over the last 10 years and said, "That's exactly what needed to be happening." I'm just so thrilled I have the opportunity to say, yes, this is a place that could see myself being a part of, helping write the next chapter.
Q: What has changed since you studied here?
A: Well first of all, physically, this campus when I was a student here, was a bit of an urban campus, a lot of streets intersecting one another, not a lot of green space. When I came for the interview process and saw what work had been done, and I believe it was President Landini that began that vision for a master plan for the campus. I was just so delighted to see the environment here now.
Another piece that has changed, just the really good, hard work to steward the buildings and the facilities on this campus. All the right work has been done to maintain as well as to take away some of the pieces that were no longer serving as well. And new construction, capital construction has been just remarkable.
Q: What policies of your predecessors do you want to continue as president?
"When freshman or transfer students come in the door, our goal is to see them cross the stage with what they came to do, which is earn a degree."
A: Well, certainly, that upward climb towards student success. That's the name of the game in higher-ed right now. If students are not successful, one has to question what our real value is in higher-ed.
So this campus has put in place quite a few services, quite a few programs to assure that our special population, and I say special because Indiana State serves a specific role in the state, gets the supports they need to get across that stage.
That's always the goal. When freshman or transfer students come in the door, our goal is to see them cross the stage with what they came to do, which is earn a degree.
Q: Can you speak more on that special role you see ISU having in the state?
A: I've been at two other institutions in my career, and each of them have a similar mission in their state, one in Illinois and one in Missouri, that it's an institution that serves a great deal of first generation college-goers. That's when I refer to services, that's what I mean.
They don't have someone in the family to ask questions about a lot of times. Or just someone who simply gives them the advice. We need those services here because if you're not used to someone in your family being in that environment, you don't even know where to go and ask.
This institution has stepped forward and made sure that support functions like tutoring, financial aid advice, program advisement are all accessible to students. As a matter of fact, perhaps intrusively pushed out to students, so they don't have to through the daunting task of figuring where to get that information.
Q: Are there any other policies that you want to build upon?
"When Indiana State does well, Terre Haute does well. When Terre Haute does well, Indiana State does well. So I'm really looking forward ... to growing that relationship."
A: Well, certainly our connection to the community in Terre Haute. In this size of the community and an institution this size, when Indiana State does well, Terre Haute does well. When Terre Haute does well, Indiana State does well. So I'm really looking forward, particularly, to continuing and growing that relationship not only in Terre Haute and in Vigo County, but certainly getting myself in the hallways of the state capital and talking to legislators about that special role.
We really value our friends at Purdue and IU and Notre Dame. Indiana State has a very different mission, and that's based upon that student population. We have historically served and we will continue to serve, so I want to be able to be that voice of Indiana State beyond even Vigo county, to clarify the role we serve and how well we're doing it, because we're doing it well.
Q: Are there any changes you want to make?
A: Well, this campus has a really active and lively strategic plan already, and it's actually the second renewed strategic plan after the first one. That's in very good shape, but any strategic plan, if it's going to be useful, needs to be reviewed and in real time and tweaks made to that.
So just a couple weeks into this role, I'm really doing a lot of listening and asking of questions, but will quickly get to what kind of modifications, adjustments does that plan need for us to continue to be successful.
Q: Are there any initiatives that you want to bring into this role and focus on?
A: One in particular will be connecting more aggressively with our alumni. We do good work in that area. And not only in philanthropy could they support us, but in sharing their time and talents with our students.
So I'm beginning to see a real important opportunity for us to make use of those very successful alumni and connect them to our students while they're here.
Q: Have you identified any particular areas for growth for ISU?
A: I'll tell you the biggest challenge for Indiana State right now is transitioning from a very effective president into a new president. I'm really impressed with the leadership team on this campus and getting to know better the faculty leadership. Everybody's prepared to be able to do this, but we just don't want to miss a step in this transition.
I keep describing it as a hand-off of the baton, that we make that as smooth as possible because the trajectory for this campus is going in a very positive direction. We don't want to create a blip in that. I think right now, that's the important part is that transition.
Q: What is your perspective on taking this historic role of the first woman President of the university?
"When there's a first anything, that's significant, and I'm really proud to be able to do that."
A: I've been a little surprised at the focus on that. It's 2018, right? So we think very often that it isn't an issue, but of course, when there's a first anything, that's significant, and I'm really proud to be able to do that.
I think those two pieces I'm most proud of is being an alum and being able to come back, and then serving in that role as the first woman and creating that opportunity for other woman who'd come after me.
Q: Do you think being a woman will influence your priorities as president?
A: That's a tough call until we see what comes up and how we respond to that. I will tell you because I've studied that a great deal, men in leadership, women in leadership, and worked with effective leaders of both genders.
I think it's really different, but one is not better than the other, so we'll be establishing that style. What we want is good leadership, Dan Bradley certainly provided that, and I intend to do that. It's just likely to be different.
Q: Can you talk about those differences?
A: I'll tell you my style. I didn't work with Dan Bradley, so I'm only becoming familiar with his leadership with those colleagues who have worked with him before.
I use a team-analogy all the time. I've done this my whole career so it's something I do and had a little bit of coaching experience in my past, so it grew out of that. I really consider myself a player-coach, if you will, as a leader. We're in this together.
I often am found saying that I've never come up with a solution to an issue or concern that was better than when we shared the decision making process with the team. I've been really impressed with my initial meetings with the leadership team here, so it's going to be a team environment.
We will always talk through together what challenges lie ahead of us, what possible solutions we have, and expect all of those leaders to engage in those conversation.That'll be my style.
