MU | F e a t u r e s
As MU’s president, Switzer has been the
University’s leading voice for nearly a decade.
She retires June 30, 2014, with a litany
of achievements the envy of any higher
education CEO: bolstered enrollment, a
stronger financial position, new student
learning spaces and programs, and greater
name recognition.
Her favorite legacy, though, is harder to
quantify. “I think Manchester University
has a justifiable sense of pride in itself, a
confidence in its mission,” Switzer said in a
recent interview. “I don’t think the heart of
the University has changed at all,” she added,
“but there is more pride in who we are.”
At few institutions is the mission so clearly
articulated and universally embraced as it
is at Manchester. “Ability and conviction”
is Switzer’s signature theme. Students
hear about it from the day they step foot
on campus. And Switzer rarely misses an
opportunity to remind faculty and staff why
their work matters. “Our mission is a dream
that should open doors,” said the president.
Humility may be a part of Manchester’s
historic culture, but “humility can be a
mixed blessing,” she adds. “We have a noble
mission. We should celebrate it.”
Indeed, one of Switzer’s favorite parts of
being president is seeing how faculty, staff
and students put their personal marks on the
mission. That synergy, the sheer power of
so many people pulling in the same direction
toward the same goal, is what Switzer says
she will miss most about the job. She’ll
also miss the fun, her colleagues and the
students. Switzer is exceptionally accessible
to students, often eating breakfast with them
in Haist Commons. Recently, a senior told
Switzer that she has been a great role model,
especially as a woman leading a University.
Switzer treasures