Patti Neuhold: A New Leading Legacy

With the end of Betz’s era as president drawing near, a new face steps into the spotlight to begin the next tenure as president. Patti Neuhold, Central’s vice president of finance and chief financial officer, was named the university’s 21st president and officially will step into the role July 1, 2019. For some, Neuhold is a quiet presence, operating behind-the-scenes. We sat down with her for a quick round of questions, in an effort to shed light on the new legacy she hopes to create at Central.

OLD NORTH: What are you most looking forward to about serving as UCO’s new president?

NEUHOLD: I love who we are and what we do, and it’s very easy for me to get excited about being the president here. I really look forward to us being an innovative and responsive partner to our metro, the state, to our community and to society. I feel like we have so much to offer, and we’re here to meet the very important needs of our citizens. We are in such a unique position to be able to do that, and in the way we do it – the very personal touch that we have. The experience that students have had with us is what our story is about, and I’m excited to be able to tell that story with passion, with excitement, and hopefully engage a whole new generation of people in what we do here.

ON: What are some of your favorite ways to connect with those across campus and within the community at large?

N: For me, it’s about making sure that I am connected when we have campus events. That I’m flipping pancakes when I can, that I’m out there playing cornhole with people on an Employee Appreciation Day, that I’m volunteering when I can. To make sure that I’m out there talking with the people that I’ve worked sideby-side with for my career here. I enjoy knowing the stories of the people here, and I think that’s what makes me even more deeply connected – being connected personally to those people. For my career, I was on a great number of committees and task forces that were cross-functional across campus. The relationships I built in those opportunities, on committees and such, are still relationships today that are very important to me. I know people that I would never have met otherwise had I not volunteered to be in those situations. So, I’d say that’s how I’ve done it over time, and now, it’s just making sure that I pause and that I connect with people as I have that opportunity.

ON: What initially influenced you to pursue a job at UCO?

N: I was looking for a change. I was running our family business at the time. I knew that I didn’t want to do that for the rest of my life… so I felt like I needed to change lanes. I had a great master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree that I wanted to see if I could put to use outside of the family business and see where it could take me, and an opportunity came up at UCO while I was looking, and I thought, “Let’s do this.” UCO had a great reputation. UCO is a beautiful campus. The people that I had met that had worked at UCO were very kind and genuine people, and I thought, “I’ll give it a shot.”

ON: So then, what encouraged you to pursue the role as president?

N: Responsibility has followed me throughout my career. As is the case with many people, if you’re known for doing something well, people often give you more to do. That’s part of how this all builds over a lifetime. I seek diversity in what I do and opportunities to interact with people, and all of these moments culminate in this idea of what it takes to be a part of a larger community. The more I learned about UCO, through those diverse interactions, through those committees, the more I loved where I was and who I was around. I think that, as a leader, it has always excited me to think about what I can accomplish through leading a positive team. It’s so much more than I could ever do on my own. When I look at what I can do in the role of the president, I just see that’s the next step. How much more can we accomplish, in order to make sure that we shepherd this place into its next era? Very deliberately and thoughtfully, and make sure that we continue the culture that we have here – the culture of collaboration. I think that’s what excites me.

ON: What legacy do you hope to leave as the university’s first female president?

N: When I think about the presidency and why I want to do this and what kind of legacy I want to leave behind, I want UCO to be known not only for innovative thinking but innovative action. So often, we talk about innovative thinking – neat ideas, great ideas, thoughtful directions – but we have to pair that with action in order to get to that next step, clear the path and be ready for the next opportunity that comes our way. For me, the opportunity to be president helps me be able to connect our innovative thinking with innovative action.

ON: What priorities, if any, do you have as you begin your presidency?

N: As I look at priorities, for me, number one is listen intently with an open mind. I have been leading from a specific perspective, and it’s my turn to listen differently now. I need to be focused broadly. I need to keep in mind the whole picture, the wholistic view of our institution. It’s my responsibility to keep the priorities of the whole institution aligned and headed in the right direction. Another priority for me is interacting with and getting to know our students. Just being visible and being someone in their world who is an accessible leader. I’m so excited by the energy of our students and amazed by what they accomplish. I want to know more stories of students. I want to hear the joys, and I want to hear the struggles. I want to know how I can better make a change. I think, most importantly, that my priorities are going to be those that move the institution forward. I’m going to listen. I’m going to interact with people, but I need to make sure that I’m moving the institution forward.

ON: What issues are you most passionate about when it comes to higher education?

N: Access and affordability for students in our metro to have a quality education. I want our city, our metro and our state to look to us and know that we are the partner that can help change generations. We are the partner that can help lift families into a better place. We can change how much these families earn over a lifetime, in a way that impacts other generations behind them. I want to make sure that, even though the state has withdrawn support from us to a great extent, that we are still here to do what we’re meant to do and be who we’re meant to be – that is to be that beacon for people, where they know that they can come and learn. We have such a tremendous amount of talent on this campus when it comes to our faculty, who are working directly with students. The personal touch we have to offer is unique in the state. Great education is all across the state, but here, it’s a place where people can achieve without having to extend their pocketbooks beyond a reasonable amount.

ON: Lastly, what do you want the campus community to know about you?

N: I would want people to know that I’m excited to be part of our community. I’m excited to serve our students in this new role. I look forward to finding ways to help people, to give people reasons to be proud to be connected to UCO. I really believe in this place and in these people. I’m very connected to the reason why we’re here. I look forward to building relationships with people in new ways, to build paths together and to blaze a trail. ON