There was no slowing down for Dr. Connie J. Gores as she began her first official term as president of Southwest Minnesota State University this past July, with Gores stating the experience has been wonderful, exciting, energizing and inspiring.
In her first few months, she has met with several members of the college, community and region including city government employees, educators, entrepreneurs, leaders in agriculture, healthcare and finance, alumni and more.
Dr. Gores hopes to reach out and learn all she can about the institution – what its strengths are, where opportunities are, its history and more.
“It’s been a whirlwind…I’ve been to so many places and I’ve tried to learn all I can about the institution – its history, publications (from members of SMSU) and I’ve been to all sorts of meetings on campus, in Marshall and across the region,” Dr. Gores said of her first months as president.
After a couple years of transition, the MnSCU (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities) organization and SMSU worked together in search of a new president for the university. The search took several months, but in the end Dr. Gores was chosen out of a total of 47 candidates by the MnSCU Board of Trustees in February of this year.
Having grown up on the prairie, Gores feels like she’s “come home.” Having these experiences of a rural-based area, she has insight into “the real advantages of being part of an ag-based economy – I understand the values, benefits…higher education can transform region and the lives of the people in the region.”
Having worked with a number of institutions – such as Randolph-Macon Woman’s College, Cornish College of the Arts, Willamette University College of Law and, most recently, Winona State University – Dr. Gores has plenty of experience under her belt. She has worked with many diverse institutions (public and private schools, liberal arts schools, specialized institutions, graduate education and regional comprehensive institutions).
“I want to take the best of what I learned in the past…build on those previous experiences…that will help us move SMSU forward,” Dr. Gores said.
The new president is concentrating on three central themes for the 2013-2014 school year:
-Academic Excellence and Distinctiveness
-Student Learning and Success
-Meaningful Partnerships and Engagement
In the long term, Dr. Gores hopes to see the university as a leader in the region, a reputation for being innovative, creative and inventive, a place with whom to partner and collaborate for the benefit of others and a place where students set high goals and realize their dreams.
“I want SMSU to be the first university that prospective students think of…that potential partners think of. I want us to be the university of choice. I’m excited about the possibilities for the future and moving the institution forward. I’m only one person…everybody here plays a part in our success…we’ll build this together. We are truly the architects of our future,” Dr. Gores said.
Want to learn more about our new president? You are in luck as Dr. Gores will be getting to know everyone around the campus with some open sessions known as “Popcorn with the President” for the students and “Coffee with Connie” for faculty and staff.
