Presidents face trifecta of duties
2 State System leaders balance trio of campuses
This may not qualify as an Olympic triathlon for college presidents — at least not officially. But it just might feel that way at times for Dale-ElizabethPehrsson.
Come Aug, 1, the Clarion University president and another public university leader in northeastern Pennsylvania will do something never before tried across the State System of Higher Education. They will lead three state university campuses simultaneously, in different parts of the Commonwealth, separated collectively by hundreds of highwaymiles.
It’s yet another dimension of university mergers and redesign
across the State System that promise to reorder campus life, from leadership and course array to how schools market themselves — and even how State System universities that are healthy and others less so share scarce public dollars.
Ms. Pehrsson has been Clarion president since 2018 and in December became interim president of Edinboro University. In two weeks, she will add to her duties interim leadership of California Universityof Pennsylvania.
That same day, Bashar Hanna will begin his own executive endurance test, adding Mansfield University’s interim presidency to his current job as Bloomsburg University president and interim head of Lock Haven University.
Think of what’s required of a typical university president, then multiply it by three:spring commencement appearances, fall convocations, sporting events, donor andalumni gatherings, not to mention daily headaches from snowstorms and budget planning to fielding student complaints.
For Ms. Pehrsson, one day it could mean being on the football sidelines at Cal U’s stadium,cheering on the Vulcans. The next week, it’s the Clarion Golden Eagles or the EdinboroFighting Scots.
Think of the multitasking. Think of the highway mileage.
Think of the need, not only to been seen but also knowing when on which campus it’s needed most to honor campusspirit.
Ms. Pehrsson welcomed her latest appointment at Cal U.
“I can speak from my experience as president of Clarion and interim president at Edinboro over these past seven months,” she said Thursday, a day after a historic if controversial State System board vote merged those six of the system’s 14 universities into two new institutions. “There are strong leadership teams in place on both campuses, which have shown me that [it] works. The same is true of California.”
She added, “Leadership is not just about the ‘president,’ it’s about the ‘presidency,’ which encompasses multiple campus leaders with a broad rangeof expertise.”
It is also about one extremely packed calendar. Based on running just two campuses, this is a taste of her routine, how she travels and where she sleeps as described in an email verbatim by her staff:
“Spring Commencements — 5 (three at Clarion and two atEdinboro) on the same day! Also involved the 100-mile road trip between Clarion andEdinboro:
“Car — Kia Telluride, “Big Boro,” which sports Tartan plaid magnets bearing the Edinboro logo when she’s on the Edinboro campus. She’s also got a Clarion-wrapped Buick Encore that she uses there.
“Residences — 2, with two weeks spent on each campus every month (this will obviouslychange).
“Wardrobe— Tartan plaid when she’s at Edinboro and Blueand Gold at Clarion.
“Homecoming — Homecoming 2021 will be the same weekend at Clarion and Edinboro and she had planned to spend Friday at Clarion and Saturday at Edinboro. (That may now change with the addition of CalU.)
“Energy level — High. Spending 100 miles a week on her bike, ‘Rosie,’ helps her keep in shape, clear her head, explore the campus and enjoy the ride!”
State System Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said each campus will have an executive designated to handle blizzards or other emergencies, as well as ceremonial duties when the president is on another campus. It will likely be an early test of his advocacy for creating “a sharing system” — courses, faculty, marketing/admissions and campusCEOs.
On Thursday, the system’s boardbegan laying out how it will use a special infusion of public dollars to aid redesign, includingpart of a $25 million savings from an earlier borrowing decision to pay early most of its obligation to the State Employee Retirement System, plus $50 million in federalstimulus money. That figure is part of $200 million over three years committed by the state to offset system redesign.
The board also approved actions intended to begin to ease complaints for nearly a decade over an allocation formula to divide yearly state appropriations to the State System. It drew money that has disadvantaged healthier campuses in favor of those facing the most enrollment and financial trouble, and even factored into a controversial attempt by West Chester University — its most robust campus — and its foundation to attempt to break away from the system severalyears back.
David Pidgeon, a State System spokesman, confirmed that the triple presidencies will be the first among 94,000-student system in its 38-year history. Since the new leadership structure will call for a single chief executive on the three campuses, Mr. Greenstein said a process will be used to transition from interim to permanent leadership will involve input from students, staff facultyand other stakeholders.
Currently, “I have $308,600 for Dr. Dale Pehrrson and $348,600 for Dr. Hanna,” said Mr. Pidgeon, when asked for theircurrent earnings data.
During a four-decade career, Ms. Pehrsson she has owned a business, worked as a nurse, hospital administrator, mental health counselor, career counselor, college professor, dean and now university president, according to campus officials. She has associate degrees at Florida community colleges; a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Albany; and two master’s degrees and a doctorate from IdahoState University.
Her husband, “Dr. Bob,” is a professor emeritus of literacy and psycholinguistics. They and their dog, Damon Runyon, expect to divide their time among California, Clarionand Edinboro.
Both the Western and Northeast Integration initiatives plan to enroll their first class of students at the combined institutions starting in August 2022, though the array of courses offered by the merged campuses will be merged over three years. Technically, the merger process will be complete upcoming accreditation from the Middle States Commission for Higher Education, in what is referred to as a “substantive change.’
Ms. Pehrsson succeeds Robert Thorn, Cal U’s interim president since Feb. 1. He will assume a new role as senior vice and chief operations officer.