4 Questions with Jill Arensdorf

1.

Q: You’ve been the provost and vice president for academic affairs for a little more than a year. What have you learned?

Dr. Jill Arensdorf: This first 15 months of serving as the provost/vice president for Academic Affairs has been full of learning – about the university, the role and myself. I have learned a great deal about the many programs at our university.

Last fall and spring, I visited every academic unit. What unique programs and outstanding people we have at FHSU! I have always known that, but I became more keenly aware of the “diamonds” that we have to offer students. This is a special place. I have learned so much about Academic Council and the great people on this Academic Affairs team. I commented to someone recently that the pandemic has brought this team closer and made us more communicative and creative.

The role of provost is complex, and no day is alike, but I have learned so much from my peers through the Becoming a Provost Academy sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the American Academic Leadership Institute. Through that program, I have connected with current and past provosts around the country. We have been able to walk the first-year journey as provosts together, and while no university is exactly alike, it was so helpful to learn from colleagues how they are solving problems and processes that they have implemented at their university.

Another area in which I am still learning is to “get on the balcony” more and see things from a different perspective/vantage point. This is really hard for me to do, but I am a work in progress on this. I am committed to approaching whatever I do with a humble, learning mindset.

2.

Q: The university’s theme since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has been “convert, don’t cancel.” How has your team responded to this challenge?

JA: I am so proud of the university for its response throughout the pandemic. You know, we are not going to get it perfect, but we have sure tried to create options and keep the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and community first and foremost.

Last spring, student teachers out in the field assisted school districts in putting their courses online during the initial school shutdown. FHSU students had experience with online learning, so they were a valuable part of the conversion that happened in school districts across the world (including a student teacher in China) last spring.

Other examples include putting science labs online, converting the Fall Professional Development Day to a virtual event, converting the Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activities Day to an online poster event and using unique simulators in nursing courses.

3.

Q: You and Dr. Brett Zollinger are leading the university’s strategic planning initiative. What are the most notable outcomes from our first year of plan implementation?

JA: Co-facilitating this process with Dr. Zollinger has been another unique learning opportunity for me. We’ve made progress on all five goals in our Strategic Plan this last year, and it can be viewed on the FHSU website.

The tremendous strides that we have made in the last year on program learning assessment are something that I am extremely proud of. Our academic departments are aligning curriculum with program learning outcomes and measuring those outcomes so that program improvements and additions can be made with good data.

We have also made great progress in our Strategic Enrollment Plan process where we are investing in program expansion and the development of new programs to attract students. The strategies supporting all goals are pointed toward the mission of FHSU – delivering accessible quality education to Kansas students, the nation and the world through an innovative community of teacher-scholars and professionals to develop engaged global citizen-leaders.

4.

Q: You grew up in rural Kansas and began your academic career in agricultural economics. You went on to become a professor of leadership studies and now you are the university’s provost. If you hadn’t followed this career path, what other route might you have taken in your professional life?

JA: When I was in third grade, I desperately wanted to be an Air Force pilot and eventually a NASA astronaut. I was fascinated by outer space and wanted to explore that space and thought a path to exploration would be learning to fly, joining the Air Force and becoming an astronaut. My curiosity drove me to conduct science fair and other school projects about the planets and stars, yearning to travel to places and explore.

I would call myself an explorer still, but my interests simply changed as I entered my middle and high school years and became more involved in organizations that focused on agriculture and leadership – 4-H and FFA. These two organizations were a springboard for the remainder of my schooling and career choices. I still get to explore, but in very different ways than a pilot or astronaut.