Interview: J. Bradley Creed

Expansion mode

Health sciences, engineering and a new homeland security program highlight Campbell’s broadening curriculum

J. Bradley Creed

President – Campbell University

What impact did the pandemic have on the university’s enrollment figures? Last fall, there was very little impact. After the pandemic hit, we had more entering students than we had in 2019 intakes. The fall enrollment of 2021 will be a challenge. Our applications and deposits are down compared to last year, which is true across the board in private higher education. Declining enrollments will have an impact but we have been remarkably disciplined with our financial management, so we are keeping pace.

What are Campbell’s fastest-growing areas of study? Campbell has been in a steady pattern of expansion over the last 40 years based on adding new programs. Anything related to health sciences on the undergraduate level is in high demand. Our business major has remained strong. We have the oldest Trust and Wealth Management program in the nation. We recently started a new program in engineering that has attracted students as well as a homeland security program. Most of the traditional undergraduate arts and science majors, such as English, political science and chemistry, are stable. Our law school is only 40 years old but we now have Campbell attorneys in 97 out of 100 counties in this state. We anticipate making a similar impact with our medical school graduates.

How has your partnership with Cape Fear Valley Health evolved? We place great importance on collaboration and partnerships. Campbell started a school of osteopathic medicine eight years ago. We do not own or operate a hospital, so we depend on partnerships to deliver our clinical education and establish medical residencies. Cape Fear Valley is one of our key partners, so we do many of our clinical rotations for third- and fourth-year medical students there, as well as rotations for other health science programs, such as pharmacy. We’ve also established graduate medical education residency programs with Cape Fear Valley. Campbell is committed to doing its part in addressing the shortage of primary care providers in the state and in the nation.

What are your near-term goals and priorities? We anticipate transitioning, hopefully soon, into a post-pandemic world. I’m working with our President’s Cabinet to think deliberately about what comes next after we complete this strategic plan. COVID will leave lasting challenges for colleges and universities but I believe we also have rare opportunities to refocus our priorities and establish goals that lead to success. Even in the midst of these inordinate challenges, it is important to look to the future so we can position ourselves to thrive.