Akron Magazine - Summer 2009 - (Page 17)

Akron magazine had an opportunity to talk to dr. stroble before she left. A transcript of the interview follows. Looking back at your tenure as provost, what is your proudest achievement? I would say assisting the community efforts of the university, as well as the efforts we have made to ensure the increasing success of our students. It has been a really productive six years, with a lot of energy and activities that resulted in tangible results. What will you miss the most at The University of Akron? Truly, I will miss the people at the University. I plan to stay connected to my UA friends, and electronic communications make that a lot easier. I will use email, Facebook, etc. to stay in touch. What piece of advice would you like to leave behind for your colleagues? It’s important to embrace diversity, and to take an inclusive view of life in order to be as welcoming a community as possible. Embracing and including others makes you stronger. We each make contributions, and are each members of a global community. The more we know about each other, the more differences we can appreciate and respect. What do you predict for the future of The University of Akron? The future has several possibilities, defined by some extent by strategic planning. The possible future is open-ended and will become clearer in the next year. Much depends on the economy of the state of Ohio. I think UA’s future is bright, with continued energy and vitality. UA will have an impact on the community as well as its students. It’s exciting; people see themselves as part of creating the future, and not just reacting to outside events. Challenges and opportunities are everywhere, and the UA community has a strong feeling that the work can be done. The annual University Park Alliance Awards, sponsored by the Dominion Foundation, were presented at a luncheon on May 11. The awards recognize outstanding community members, businesses, institutions and service agencies, and UA students, faculty and staff for their contributions to the revitalization of the University Park neighborhood near campus. This year’s student award went to UA’s women’s softball team. Outside of its high academic performance, team members conducted sports clinics at Mason and Leggett Elementary schools and participated in the Zippy’s Readers program. The faculty award went to Dr. Susan G. Colville-Hall, a professor of education in the Department of Curricular and Instructional Studies. She has promoted language instruction in Leggett Elementary School over the past decade. The staff award went to Holly J. Harris Bane, associate vice president of strategic initiatives and engagement in the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. Harris Bane assisted the United Way in planning the Neighborhood Leadership Institute. A Distinguished Leadership Award was presented to Dr. Elizabeth Stroble, outgoing UA senior vice president, provost and chief operating officer, for her support of the alliance during her tenure as provost. The 2009 Neighborhood Investor Award recipients included the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Phi Delta’s fraternity house, the newest addition to the Greek Village near campus, was built at a cost of $1.3 million. Dr. Elizabeth Stroble left The University of Akron in June. She was named president of Webster University in St. Louis, effective July 1. Dr. Stroble did an exemplary job as both dean of the College of Education, a post she held from 2000-03, and as senior vice president, provost and chief operating officer. She played a leading role in many of UA’s recent achievements: UA’s recent gains in enrollment – up about 15 percent over the last three years The creation of Summit College, the Honors College, the Early College High School and the Medina County University Center The development and implementation of the academic strategic plan, the enrollment management roadmap, the information technology strategic plan, the student success and retention plan, the budget planning process and, with the Council of Deans, the Academic Leadership Forum She also provided leadership that, with others, resulted in the STEM Middle School and the BioInnovation Institute in Akron. • • • • | 17 | A MAgAzine for AluMni & friends of The universiT y of Akron www.uakron.edu University Park Alliance Honors UA Community Members for Contributions Provost Beth Stroble Leaves UA http://www.uakron.edu

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Akron Magazine - Summer 2009

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