I’ll admit that when I finally found a seat at Jorgensen on Friday, September 16th, I barely knew anything about the UConn’s soon-to-be fifteenth President, Susan Herbst. Still, I was excited. President Herbst is the first woman in UConn’s history to hold the position, and the energy in the room told me that this was a moment that I was lucky to be a part of.
Susan Herbst, as I soon found out, comes to Storrs with ample experience. She was a student at Duke University, where she earned her B.A. in Political Science. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in Communication Theory and Research from the University of Southern California. It was then she became an assistant professor, Professor of Political Science, and eventually Chair of the Department at Northwestern University.
In addition to her impressive background as a scholar, President Herbst was the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Temple University. She then served as Provost and Executive Vice President at the University at Albany (SUNY), followed by a brief stint as the acting president of the school. Herbst was also Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer of the University System of Georgia. This is a fancy was of saying that she supervised 15 university presidents and the academic missions of all of the public universities (35 of them!) in Georgia.
And you thought your resume was impressive…
Now that I’ve told you everything I learned from the inauguration’s stylishly printed program on UConn’s newest president, it’s time to talk about what we really care about: besides experience, what does Susan Herbst have to offer the University of Connecticut? As many of you already know, UConn was recently named one of the top 20 public research universities in the country. As Provost Peter J. Nichols said at the inauguration, this is “a new and exciting era for our university.”
According to Lawrence D. McHugh, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Herbst is “the right person at the right time,” a sentiment that was echoed by Undergraduate Student Government President Samuel Tracy when he said that Susan Herbst would bring not only change, but also progress to UConn. At a time when it seems as if the sky is the limit for our school, it is clear that we need a president like Herbst, whom former United States Senator Christopher J. Dodd called “the kind of big dreamer who encourages others to dream large as well.”
When the big moment had arrived and Susan Herbst was officially made president with the presentation of her silver collar and medallion (cool, but not a look any of us should try to pull off), it was finally time to hear what she had to say about the future of our university. Herbst, who is responsible for the creation of “UConn Reads” (like a giant book club that everyone is invited to be a part of) and a campus beautification project, strongly encourages the direct involvement of students in the UConn community. In fact, President Herbst will be holding open office hours, which will allow students to come to her directly with their questions, suggestions, and concerns.
In her inaugural address, she said, “Active citizenship empowers people to create the future. UConn is a growing, comprehensive research university, and we want precisely what institutions like ours always seek: high achievement, discovery, and relevance in the lives of our students and the economic development of our state.” After attending her inauguration, I am confident that President Herbst will lead UConn to a very bright future.