CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Dr. Dione Somerville — Vice President for Student Affairs at Bloomsburg University — spoke at an open forum on Friday afternoon sponsored by the Clarion University Presidential Search Committee.

Somerville is one of four candidates vying for the open position of Clarion University President.

According to Somerville’s curriculum vitae, her education includes a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Master of Arts in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and her experience ranges from Director (Dean) of Enrollment Services/Registrar at Lorain County Community College to her current position as Vice President for Student Affairs at Bloomsburg University.

In her opening statements, Somerville talked about four interdependent priorities for sustainability and growth.

The first priority she addressed was enrollment management, stating, “When you talk about strategic enrollment management, it really talks about the entire student life cycle, from recruitment, through matriculation, through retention, through graduation, and I think that is very important to look at when we talk about sustainability and growth because students are the reason we are all here.”

“First and foremost in that becomes the conversation around academic programs. Students choose to come to universities first and foremost because of the offerings, and so making sure there’s the culture and support for creating and sustaining needed academic programs is important,” she continued.

She addressed some of the particular issues at a rural university as a second priority.

“It’s really about, when you talk about a rural environment, meeting students where they are, be that where they are educationally, where they are in term of psycho-social development, or where they are physically. There are lots of students that Clarion University serves that may not be right here on campus,” Sommerville explained.

As a third priority, Somerville addressed a sense of community and a sense of inclusivity — seeing those areas of importance as being nearly hand-in-hand.

“I also believe that this is where workforce development and working with our community is important. How do we work together and partner in ways that may be a little more innovative, that may be a little more entrepreneurial, in a way to create new opportunities that help serve the mission both of Clarion University and also the community as a whole.”

“As we talk about inclusivity, it goes beyond race and ethnicity, it really is about all of the individual talents that everyone brings to our campuses and to our communities. Do people feel supported? Do they feel that they belong? And having a place where people feel they matter, and they feel their contributions and their efforts matter really leads to the success of the university.”

The fourth and final priority she addressed was fiscal sustainability, asking, “How do we manage our revenue? How do we effectively manage our expenses? And how do we look at it not in a way that’s only looking at the balance sheet, but how do we make those kinds of investments in the university?”

As in previous candidate forums, the issues of arts and athletics came up in questions.

“I really think that as institutions in rural areas, a lot of times we’re the only places that often celebrates the arts, and for the communities to become engaged in the arts,” Somerville stated.

On the issue of athletics, she said, “I think athletics is important to the identity of the university. It’s part of how you identify, it’s part of how we define ourselves as a community, and I think without it, it’s a very different kind of place.”

Another question approached the issue of how Somerville would promote faculty members’ professional growth.

“I think there are lots of options when you talk about different kind of opportunity that faculty may be interested in. Sometimes they may serve in a temporary administrative role, be on special projects or special assignments, there may be release time associated with certain things,” Sommerville responded.

“One of the things Bloomsburg has been able to do as a result of our most recent comprehensive campaign is to have fellowships, faculty fellowships where they’re awarded, and there’s a professional development fund that comes with that. And so I think that there are options if we work together to look at what’s possible within not only the CBA but also the financial structure of the university, and what other financial options may be possible to promote that continued growth and renewal.”

A later question referred back to the recent capital campaign she was involved with, as it was particularly effective, raising more than twenty percent more than the stated goal, and asked, “How did you do it?”

Sommerville explained, “I think that for us, one of the biggest things was that as a campus community, and as an alumni community, we really believed in what we needed to do.”

“I think part of what made our program successful is that there was a lot of energy around it throughout the institution. When we as a cabinet talked about what the priorities needed to be, and we have our strategic plan, and then there were also some university initiatives that were developed more thoroughly since the inception of the strategic plan. So, us sitting down and making some final decisions of ‘yeah, these are priorities that are important to us’. One of the biggest parts has been for student scholarships, and a big part of that has been relationships that we were able to develop and garner on our campus.”

Finally, Somerville also touched on why she would like to come to Clarion, stating, “One of the things that I absolutely love about what I’ve been able to do is impact the lives of students in the university every place I’ve gone. Even a Catholic women’s college, the values that they had for the students are very similar to the values, and goals, for students in our comprehensive public universities. It’s about development, it’s about education, it’s about making sure students have what they need.”

“It’s about developing whole people, it’s about developing education holistically, inside and outside the classroom, inside and outside the labs, and making sure that the entire university really serves the purpose of educating our students. And when you think about public higher education, when you think about the regional comprehensive university, you’re uniquely poised to do that. And you look at Clarion and you look at your surrounding area you’re it. You are the educational institution for this region, and so that’s important. That’s a huge responsibility.”

“When you look at student learning overall, I think it is probably one of the most noble callings there is, to work in higher ed. I’ve been privileged that at every institution where I’ve worked, I’ve had an opportunity to impact that in a way that’s positive, and meaningful. It helps students transform. That’s what we’re here for, the transformational educational experience that changes their lives, their families’ lives, and their communities’ lives.”

The three other candidates for the open position of Clarion University President – Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, Dr. Amir Mohammadi, and Dr. Amir Mohammadi — were each invited to speak at forums this week, as well.

Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson, Dean and a professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Central Michigan University, spoke at an open forum on Monday, April 30.

Dr. David Urban, Dean of Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, spoke at an open forum on Tuesday, May 1.

Dr. Amir Mohammadi, vice president for finance, administrative affairs and advancement services at Slippery Rock University, spoke at an open forum on Wednesday, May 2.