Elsa Núñez, the right woman to lead ECSU for 18 years

Elsa Núñez will be stepping down as president of Eastern Connecticut State University, a position she has held for more than 18 years. This period represents more than three times what the average tenure is for a college president.

During her tenure, Núñez transformed Eastern into a learner and student-centered university. For four years, U.S. News has ranked Eastern as the top public regional university in all of New England. It has also been ranked number one for “best value” among public regional universities in the region. The Princeton Review has named Eastern the “best college” in the Northeast and has listed it in the “ Guide to Green Colleges” for 13 years in a row.

Recently, Eastern received its first gold rating for sustainability by STARS — the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System. Eastern has received one of only three Gold ratings for all institutions in Connecticut, and is one of 138 colleges and universities nationwide to be rated at the same highest level by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

These are notable accomplishments under Núñez’s helm. Underlying all of them are the many dimensions to this talented woman. To name a few: her commitment to the liberal arts education, her natural capacity for discernment and strategic action, her wonderful and contagious sense of humor, and what her late father, Juan, described as Núñez’s love of family. He frequently made comments about how she always worked hard and at the same time kept as her priority to help her family. It is something I have witnessed firsthand since I first met her. Through her family Núñez learned that working together is a core strength. This has been a permanent stance that she has carried into all other aspects of her life.

When Núñez arrived in Connecticut in 2006, following an already successful career in several institutions of higher education in Maine, Massachusetts, and New York, she immediately expressed her desire to connect with the greater community and to contribute to its wellbeing. She saw her leadership role as one that extended beyond the campus to become intrinsically connected to the community.

While president of the university, that commitment has been reflected in her service as a board member in several nonprofit organizations including the CT Association for Human Services, The Village for Families and Children, The Leadership Greater Hartford, The Mark Twain House and, most recently, the board of the Wadsworth Atheneum. She also serves at the national level in several higher education organizations.

But few of the readers may know that her life story has been one of overcoming significant obstacles and challenges. As many in her native Puerto Rico do, she moved to the continental U.S. as a young child without the benefit of speaking English, and only having her immediate family as a support structure. Few know that her grandmother lived with very little means in one of the most underprivileged areas in the island, El Fanguito, the “mud hole,” a place that Núñez used to visit as a child. At that time she also learned how her grandmother managed her circumstances while possessing so little, and how she always managed to make it a special time in every one of her granddaughter’s visits.

In her first school experience after moving to the continental U.S., Núñez found herself being seated in a corner together with a young boy who was developmentally disabled. She was given a blank piece of paper to draw as she pleased. In fairness, her teacher did not know what else to do. So, in her situation Elsa had to learn English at her early age by sheer assimilation… and she taught herself well!

When it came time to go to college, Núñez had already figured out that, if you were a good student, there would be a place in higher education for you. She had to learn to navigate the application process by herself. As she was working her way through the system, her father told her many times: “you can only go to a college if you can take the bus to get there.”

These are early stories Núñez rarely speaks about. But I have absolute certainty that they became direction and motivation for her career. A vivid example is the creation of a program providing access, and capacity to succeed, to students not deemed to be on a college path. I am referring to the Dual College Enrollment Program at Eastern. In this program, students from the inner city who have not applied nor been fully prepared for college, but who are identified as having the potential to be admitted, are given the proper support for success.

Elsa raised necessary funding and obtained grants to support the program. It became a recognized national model, making it possible for numerous student cohorts to graduate and pursue careers. You can read about this exemplary program in her book Hanging out and Hanging on . A salient quality for the frequently underestimated students in the program is the “spark in their eyes.” It is how Núñez puts it. And it is her spark too.

The Dual Enrollment program also aligns with Núñez’s strong believe in the American Dream — of which education is a crucial component. Núñez frequently makes the point that our democracy depends on broad access to higher education. Education is for all members of our society to realize their full potential, achieve economic progress, and obtain social mobility.

Let me share another story few know about Núñez. At the inauguration ceremony of the Eastern Connecticut State University Fine Arts building, several speakers involved in the construction of the building spoke about the magnificent acoustic of the theater, the beauty of its galleries and other of its architectural qualities. Conspicuously, they all pointed out a unique characteristic about the building: it is constructed with two main entrances. One of them facing the street in town and the other providing access to students from within the campus. She wanted to make sure all were welcome to this fine arts building.

Núñez has also welcomed immigrant students, providing them with the opportunity and support to get an education. She was recently honored with the SUCCESS award for the work of educating more than 400 Dreamers and transforming their lives to allow them to become scholars and leaders serving their communities.

Núñez leaves a legacy that combines a passionate support for education with a commitment to the liberal arts and a deep involvement with the community beyond the university. She has enriched us with her hard work, her knowledge, and her wonderful sense of humor. She will continue her contributions to higher education as a member of the Presidents-in-Residence program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. In this capacity, she will teach and mentor future educational leaders, many of them women.

Connecticut is a better place because of Núñez’s leadership and contribution. We celebrate and thank her for 18 years of contributions while making Connecticut her home. She showed us she was the right woman for the job.

Estela Lopez is the former Vice President of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities.