Former provost emphasizes experience at public college

First of four finalists visits St. Mary's

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009

Katherine S. Conway-Turner said she brings with her the right experience and student-centered focus to be the next president of St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Conway-Turner, 56, one of four finalists to lead the college, spoke last week at several forums to meet faculty, staff, students and the general public. She was the first finalists to visit campus; the remaining three will tour the college and meet stakeholders this week and next. A decision could be made during a college trustee meeting Oct. 3.

"I thought it was a wonderful match for my experiences and my background," including her commitment to the liberal arts and "working to develop the whole person," both in and out of the classroom, Conway-Turner said of her decision to apply for the job.

"One of the things [that is important at a liberal arts college] is opportunities for all students to cut across boundaries in curriculum," she said on Sept. 17 at a community forum.

She also praised the college's study abroad program and said she would like to grow that even more.

Conway-Turner said the next president needs to elevate the visibility of St. Mary's College so it becomes more nationally known. She also said that she would not like to see the student population grow; currently there are about 2,000 students at St. Mary's College.

"I would like to see the student size remain the same… This really is a very good size for the type of interaction" that she thinks is important between students and faculty, Conway-Turner said.

"There needs to be opportunity for students to work one-on-one, in small groups and in small classes with professors," she said.

Since 1983 she has had faculty appointments at Santa Clara University, University of Delaware, Georgia Southern University and State University of New York at Geneseo. Along with other administrative appointments, she most recently served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Geneseo.

"There's a lot that's very similar," she said of Geneseo and St. Mary's College, which she called peer institutions.

As the chief academic officer, she oversaw 21 academic departments and various programs at Geneseo, a public college with more than 5,000 students.

Responding to a student, she assured that she would be visible on campus and open to student suggestions and ideas. "I am a student-centered administrator, a student-centered leader," she said.

Conway-Turner also pledged she would support faculty and other employees. She said even during tough economic times the college can continue to build programs by thinking more creatively about the use of resources. There will be a need to start another long-range fundraising campaign soon, she said.

Conway-Turner has authored or co-authored dozens of journal articles and chapters in scholarly publications, and has presented professional papers on issues facing older women and African-American women, according to her biography from Geneseo.

She said she enjoys guest lecturing at college classes and would like to continue that if chosen as president of St. Mary's College.

Conway-Turner left the provost job at Geneseo at the end of 2008 after four and a half years to start Leaders Across Boundaries, a consulting company for higher education institutions that she currently heads.

"If I were to join you," Conway-Turner said answering a question from a student, "I really would have to close up my firm." She said it would take a couple of months to finish commitments and that she could pass the firm on to an interested colleague.

According to several other college Web sites, Conway-Turner was a finalist for president of Columbus State University in the summer of 2008, provost of Towson University earlier this year and president of the College of Charleston in 2006.

She earned her undergraduate degree in microbiology, a master's in psychology and in 1981 a doctorate in psychology from the University of Kansas. A first-generation college student from her family, she followed up with post-doctoral work for two years at the University of California Los Angeles.

"There's a lot of opportunity for partnerships," Conway Turner said, especially with Historic St. Mary's City.

Bryan Seibert of Scotland said that the group he belongs to, Citizens for the Preservation of Historic St. Mary's City, seeks to gain community participation in decisions made about the campus and charged that the college has not allowed that to happen.

"We certainly listen to, heard from, and had dialogue from [the public] about anything that was happening at the college," Conway-Turner said of her experience at Geneseo in working with its neighbors. She said there would need to be "predictable opportunities to discuss" issues to avoid surprises to the community, but that college administrators and trustees would make final decisions.

"She is a very thoughtful person with deep experience in liberal arts and administration of a college much like our own," said Larry Vote, acting president of St. Mary's College.

A board of trustees presidential search committee reviewed more than 100 applications and conducted a dozen interviews earlier this summer to narrow the field to four. The other finalists are James Bacchus, MaryAnn Baenninger and Joseph Bruno.

jyeatman@somdnews.com