March 4, 2020 | Campus Voices | Media | News | Activities | News | A Day in the Life| News | Locker Room Talk | Sports11
SUZANNE SHIPLEY
PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
President Suzanne Shipley hands executive committee Chairman Caven Crosnoe the budget reports at the conclusion of the Nov. Board of Regents meeting. Nov. 7. said she still experiences pressures after years of upholding the presidency position. “The biggest pressure is that you have lots of different stakeholders, and they sometimes have conflicting values for your presidency,” Shipley said. “You become this proving ground where all those opinions come together, and you try to meld them into a consensus that strengthens the university. Your goal is to advance the university to keep it moving forward while also making all those stakeholders feel a part of it.” Shipley went on to describe the difficulties of juggling the opinions of students, faculty and staff while also keeping in mind the success of the university. “It gets hard when there are contradictions,” Shipley said. “When it’s easy is when everybody feels the same way. It gets more difficult if you’re being forced to change; the best kind of change is change that you can shape yourself at a time that works for you.” As a result of desiring a tightly bonded university community and ensuring everyone’s voices can be heard, Shipley said she goes out of her way to create connections with students. “It’s very important for me to connect
with the students of this university,” Shipley said. “I really like to get out and be seen, not for my ego, but so that they know who their president is. I want them to know they have a president who cares about them and is present.” Though being open to all opinions can benefit the university community, it can also open the door for negative feedback and opinions. Being the president means being the target for public scrutiny, but Shipley said she tries hard to focus on solutions rather than the negativity itself. “You have to compartmentalize people’s opinions so that you find the positive rather than being overwhelmed by the negative,” Shipley said. “You have to hear and digest the negative,
“The older you get, the more it seems that you can help others be a better version of themselves” SUZANNE SHIPLEY UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
but you can’t let it overwhelm you. You have to compartmentalize the noise versus the important negative opinion I need to focus on because every issue has some noise around it that isn’t as meaningful as the heart of the issue.” When the noise gets too loud, Shipley said she resorts to physical activity, reading and watching movies. She and her husband also enjoy cheering students on in the stands. Shipley said she has also found joy in motivating others to be better versions of themselves. “The older you get, the more it seems that you can help others be a better version of themselves,” Shipley said. “Although I want to keep being a better version of myself, I primarily feel the most important thing I can be right now is helpful to other people in this work because I’ve seen and learned a lot. I feel I can help individuals navigate experiences that might be more difficult to navigate without my help, and that’s what I get the biggest satisfaction from.” Though Shipley enjoys every part of her presidency, five years from now she sees herself on a beach under an umbrella living a life of less structure. “I will be outside somewhere, not in an office or board room,” Shipley said. “This is the end of the road for me. I enjoy this, but this is a very structured life. I want to enjoy freedom in life.”
PHOTO BY BRIDGET REILLY | THE WICHITAN
President Suzanne Shipley talks about keeping the change to professor’s mandatory office hours from 10hrs to 5hrs per week at the Board of Regents meeting. Nov. 7.
