With the announcement of Hamline’s 22nd president, Dr. Mayme Hostetter, the Hamline community has been waiting to hear of the possible changes in the institution going forward.
Changes in faculty, especially in a role as significant as president, can bode a shift in many aspects of an institution. With academics being one of the most crucial areas of life for a student, questions have been raised over how Hostetter may impact the academic experience at Hamline.
“Mostly I’m coming in with a learning orientation to hear what you all think we should be doing and what you all think the next chapter of Hamline should be about,” Hostetter said. “One of the things I really like about working in education is that you can be a learner your whole life.”
Hostetter spoke to her emphasis on having student and faculty voices in the decision-making process for the institution. Assistant Provost Lisa Nordeen also highlighted the importance of strong communication between faculty and the president.
“Leadership is so integral to building a community, and ultimately that leadership can lift everybody up, with just the morale, with the direction we’re going,” Nordeen said. “But that being said, I think it’s really the people who are here on the faculty and staff that drive the institution … those of us who are here doing the work on the ground are really dependent on each other as much as a singular person.”
Elisa Lopez, junior and Hamline University Student Congress (HUSC) External President was a member of the presidential search committee and explained that a priority for her was finding a president who would develop a holistic understanding of campus and use that to create a long-term plan.
“I wanted someone who could visualize a plan and a goal that would last even longer than they would be here, longer than a student would be here,” Lopez said. “I wanted someone who would be able to see that vision through.”
Hostetter also said that she would be quickly implementing her plans for a strong start to the academic year and for the years ahead.
“We’ll have a strategic plan to get going pretty soon after I arrive,” Hostetter said. “The catalyst for a lot of those conversations is defining the next three to five years together.”
One of the ideas being discussed is systematically setting people up for career paths upon graduation in order to standardize the way people get connected to jobs.
“I don’t want folks to be investing what they invest in Hamline and hoping for a lucky draw of a professor to get them the job they have been working towards,” Hostetter said. “I think Hamline is incredibly well connected to a lot of different career pathways in the Twin Cities and beyond, and I think that’s an opportunity that we can build on.”
While a transition period for such a significant role can sometimes be difficult, hopes are high that Hostetter will be able to seamlessly pick up where interim president Dr. Kathleen Murray leaves off in the summer.
“I think the fact that she’s been announced now gives her an opportunity to talk with Dr. Murray to better understand what has been initiated and where we’re going and that trajectory,” Nordeen said.
Amid uncertainty regarding a change in the presidency, Dr. Hostetter is certain that students will “see a lot of me, maybe even more than they want,” and that she will “be listening a lot to them.”
Another certainty was the excitement on both sides for what next year’s leadership will bring to Hamline, both in terms of the future of the university’s academics and the fostering of relationships between Dr. Hostetter and the community.
