After more than a decade of service at the University of Tampa, Robert Ruday, current dean of students, is retiring from his 16-year tenure.
When Ruday first came to UT, he managed a federal grant to promote drug and alcohol awareness among the campus community.
He later went on to assume the position of director of student activities.
Ruday counts the growth of the university staff and the strengthening of student services among his greatest achievements.
He recalled with pride the transformation undergone by the university in the last decade and a half, in particular the completion of numerous building projects and the blossoming of the student population.
“We’ve seen a rebirth of the University of Tampa,” Ruday asserted, “President Vaughn has done an excellent job.”
When asked what qualities he would hope for in his successor, Ruday emphasized the importance of the accurate assessment of university needs, a devotion to quality service and, most crucially, a passion for open communication with students.
“The dean of students should be someone who eats in the cafeteria like everyone else,” he stated.
Confident of the bright future of the university, Ruday is relinquishing his office with a heavy heart.
Confident of the bright future of the university, Ruday is relinquishing his office with a heavy heart.
“I have mixed feelings on leaving UT,” he said. “I feel I’ve been a part of it so much. I will hold it fondly in my heart and memories.”
Stephanie Russell Holz, Richard Olshak, Pamela Anthony and Bryan Coker are the four candidates interviewing for the position.
In the week preceding spring break, candidates gave fifteen-minute presentations of their unique goals and leadership approaches to a mixed assembly of faculty, staff and students, before opening the floor to questions.
Stephanie Russell Holz
Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement, Stephanie Russell Holz stressed the importance of examining questions confronting the university with what she called “purposeful creativity”—novel, nontraditional approaches designed to stimulate innovation.
She demonstrated this approach through the distribution of whack pack cards, visually engaging PowerPoint slides and clicker polling to determine opinions among her audience.
Extensive collaboration, exchange not only between university departments, but on every level of school administration and campus life, also figured largely in her presentation.
“We are all educators,” said Russell Holz, “students are peer educators as well.”
In addition to explaining the originality of her approach to the betterment of the UT student experience, the candidate also made reference to the most prevalent issues looming in the future of the university.
Most notably, these issues included increased globalization, issues of sustainability, shifting economic realities and the growing power of technology to enhance communication and efficiency.
In response to the concern that UT is becoming too large to maintain its status as a cozy, intimate campus, Russell Holz advocated asset-mapping for different divisions of career services to keep up with the increasing population and collaboration with students to assess their “growing pains.”
Pamela Anthony
Pamela Anthony, assistant dean of students at Georgia State University, summed up her approach to accomplishing university goals with the core values of community, care and collaboration.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” she said of these priorities.
She made clear her devotion to diversity in all its complexity and beauty, encouraging interaction among students from all walks of life.
Anthony also expressed her desire that UT more fully realize its identity as an urban campus, establishing relationships in the larger Tampa community.
She advocated the visibility and accessibility of school representatives to students as well as the necessity of frequent interdisciplinary and departmental collaboration.
“We are all partners in this,” Anthony stated, “It’s crucial that we all come to the table prepared with our ideas.”
In light of recent tragedies like the Arizona shooting, Anthony also put great emphasis upon the evaluation and treatment of troubled students within the campus community.
To this end, she advocated the strengthening of student emotional services and the constant vigilance of all members of staff and faculty.
“Hindsight is 20-20. We must make a concerted effort to monitor challenges to student adjustment and catch all the warning signs.”
Anthony stated the difficult, but exciting task of breaking down barriers between administrators and students in an effort to make everyone feel included as the remedy for the potential loss of intimacy and connection inherent in a growing student population.
Richard Olshak
A veteran of two decades of higher education experience and associate dean of students at Illinois State University Richard Olshak put top priority on the thoughtful resolution of university issues through vigilant assessment.
He expressed an unwavering belief in the value of administrative accountability and the visible, honest tackling of internal difficulties.
His down-to-earth approach to the betterment of the UT experience included efficient time management and adjustment to changing realities of decreasing resources and increasing competition among other academic institutions.
“People fear that assessment brings change and takes too much time,” Olshak explained. “We can overcome this by managing a change in ways that are both thoughtful and transparent.”
The candidate also advocated early assessment teams to evaluate troubled students, strengthen codes of conduct and reduce institutional liability.
He made clear his passion for upholding equity among diverse groups of students and making every voice on campus heard. “We must strive to understand biases and prejudices as well as the unique privileges we enjoy and the disadvantages others suffer,” Olshak stated.
The candidate gave his word that he would fight for necessary resources and always keep in mind the best interests of the student body in maintaining the intimacy of UT through its period of growing pains.
“I’m not here today to tell you what you want to hear,” Olshak stated with honesty, “I’m here to tell you what kind of a person I am to work with.”
Bryan Coker
Dean of students at Jacksonville University, Bryan Coker, spoke from a platform of enhanced communication and social media innovations.
Dean of students at Jacksonville University, Bryan Coker, spoke from a platform of enhanced communication and social media innovations.
He stated his belief in striking a perfect balance between the civility of face-to-face interaction and connecting with students through the mediums of Facebook, Skype and Twitter.
His progressive and fresh outlook on the future of UT incorporated elements of both modern technology and old-fashioned interaction and drew heavily not only from personal experience but also the promising outreach campaigns instituted by other academic institutions.
Coker addressed what he sees as the evolving definition of “campus,” by examining contemporary issues of rising college costs, alternative sources of funding and blossoming diversity among the student population.
He expressed his optimism that UT was a fertile testing ground for the enactment of technological and community-oriented innovations.
“UT is an incredible foundation for building an awesome student experience,” Coker stated.
When asked what steps he would take to reconcile the university’s burgeoning population with its traditional “small school feel,” the candidate voiced his belief in the establishment of a student solutions center and augmented retention initiatives to help concerned students from “getting lost in the fray.”
Jeffrey Palmer can be reached at jeffrey.palmer@spartans.ut.edu.
Stephanie Russell Holz could not be a more ideal candidate! She passionately cares about student development and gives personal attention to students. She is an asset to the University of Tampa and has all the qualities to succeed in this position. I had the pleasure of working with Stephanie for 3 years when I attended UT and she helped me in the most amazing ways. I will never forget her kindness. Stephanie is incredibly intelligent and has sophisticated leadership philosophy that is highly successful and motivating. I unquestionably support her in this position.