Allegheny College’s new provost is settled into her office and already getting to work on projects that require her attention. Her message: acknowledge the troubles of the past academic year, but continue to push Allegheny toward something greater.
“I’m getting the sense from at least the folks I’ve been talking to that they’re ready for something new, and there’s an appetite to really focus on the strengths of Allegheny, to showcase our students, to come up with new ways to tell our story and really strengthen the foundation of the college,” said Provost and Dean of the Faculty Angela Haddad.
Haddad came to Meadville after nine years at Hunter College in New York City, where she served in a number of different roles. For Haddad, Allegheny’s smaller community is a refreshing change of pace after spending so long in the big city.
“I’m living out in the country, which I did not appreciate when I lived in Michigan,” Haddad said. “I thought, ‘Oh, if only there was a big city and things I could do closer.’ But now, having lived in a big city for a long time, it’s nice to go home … I sit in my yard almost every night and just watch the trees and the birds and the animals. It’s very, very relaxing, and it’s nice to be back in nature.”
There was also a shift in administrative style between Hunter and Allegheny, Haddad said. She explained that bigger schools have a much longer and less personal process when completing projects. Having the option to work more closely with people was one of Allegheny’s main selling points for Haddad, and although she acknowledged there are administrative differences between the two colleges, she found the adjustment “surprisingly easy.”
“I thought it would be nice to be able to connect with people again one-on-one, and really get to know almost everybody in the community,” Haddad said.
As Haddad begins her term, she plans to create open lines of communication between herself and the student body, but with limited scale in comparison to the open office hours former Provost and Dean of the College Ron Cole, ’87, held. While her door will always be open, Haddad plans to create an advisory group that meets with her on a monthly basis to discuss changes students would like to see made.
Haddad hopes this dynamic will allow students to have an active voice, while keeping conversations between the student body and the provost’s office productive and professional.
“Having talked to (Provost and Dean of the College Ron Cole, ’87) about office hours, a lot of times he just sat there unless students were upset, and then students would come and it wouldn’t be a discussion, it would be a lot of angst,” Haddad said. “(Cole) couldn’t really respond in a way that would address their concerns in the long run.”
Haddad said she was aware of the strenuous dynamic between her predecessor and the campus community following the announcement of the Academic Program Review in February, having both read about it and heard from Cole first hand.
“I know that (hostility toward the office of the provost) exists, but I think we’re at a point where everyone recognizes that things were difficult, and we all need to pull together as a community to do our best to move forward so we can continue the mission of Allegheny College,” Haddad said.
Haddad further explained that to her, something new looks like creating new ways to tell the stories of Allegheny College and its students.
“There’s lots of things in the pipeline,” Haddad said. “And most of those things are coming from faculty.”
Haddad’s primary example was a new Digital Humanities major which she is currently working with Assistant Professor of History and International Studies Brian Miller and Eila V. Bush Endowed Professor of Art Paula Burleigh to create. She envisions this new area of study to make use of the extra space and resources in the library following the completion of its winnowing project and the shifting of Technology Services to Murray Hall.
Although last semester brought about many changes to the academic programming at Allegheny College, Haddad views now as the time to strengthen the college’s portfolio rather than prune it.
“I don’t think a lot (of programs) were downsized, just looking at … how many positions were discontinued and how many people retired mostly voluntarily, and then how many people decided to just leave,” Haddad said. “Looking at that, there was a number of faculty in a number of departments that were merged. I think at the same time, now that (we are) sitting back and looking at that history, going forward what we need to think about is how we maintain and strengthen our existing programs and what new programs might compliment that.”