FITCHBURG ― Fitchburg State University's 12th president is also its first female president, as Donna Hodge begins her first academic year at the helm.
Hodge, who despite decades working in academia still carries a hint of East Texas drawl, roots that she said are similar to Fitchburg given that she grew up in a former mill town, gave her first "state of the university" address Wednesday. She promised new initiatives and changes that will promote the university into the future.
Hodge was named the new president of the university after Richard Lapidus retired at the end of the last school year , after nine years leading the university. Hodge was hired from Colorado State University-Pueblo, where she served as vice president of operations and advancement.
The Telegram & Gazette had a chance to talk to Hodge about her vision and where she thinks the university is headed.
What made Fitchburg State an appealing place for you to work?
Hodge: Fitchburg State has such a rich history, the work ethic in Fitchburg is something that I am familiar with. I grew up in a small town in East Texas. It was a town of paper mills actually, and so I recognize the history of Fitchburg State. I spent the last 20 years working at a small state university in Southern Colorado in a steel mill town, and so the size and the mission of this campus is one that speaks to me.
How can the university attract more local students?
Hodge: This was one of the first things that I asked about. In my mind being a regional comprehensive institution means that we comprehensibly serve our region. I look at how many of our students come from Central Massachusetts, and 42% of them do, and as a regional institution we should see that level at 60 or 70%, so that is important. It means that we have a lot of (potential) growth in that area.
When you look at the number of students coming from Fitchburg High School, this incoming class, it is only 28 students. That is a huge number of graduating students that we could offer first-choice academic experience for. Students do not have to go far to get that quality education from highly talented, qualified, well-trained and researched professors.
How can Fitchburg State better serve the Hispanic community?
Hodge: We sit currently with about 16% of our institution is Hispanic, but what is important about that to note is that 58% of K-12 students in the region surrounding Fitchburg State are identified as Hispanic, which suggests to me that there is more we can do to support those students around us.
There is a federal designation of being a Hispanic-serving institution, which opens up grants and partnership opportunities with other colleges. The designation is 25% of a student body is Hispanic and I believe we can get there for sure in the next five years.
I think we can move the dial, if you look at the population around us, that number is only going to grow. We have to be ready for those students, students who may be first-generation college students, first-generation immigrants and they may not have families who know how to help get them here, so we need to provide those resources.
What is an immediate change that you wanted to implement?
Hodge: Having athletics and university police report to the president is very important. Before they were part of student affairs, and that is wonderful, I think student affairs have nurtured those programs and really grown them. I think we are ready for the next iteration, and in my mind on our cabinet, those folks who report to me and help me make decisions every day, that has to include our athletic director and it has to include our chief of police.
If we want to make sure we are doing our absolute best for student-athletes, there are 350 student-athletes at Fitchburg State. That is a huge number for a student population and that means that those leaders have to be sitting at our table.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Fitchburg State's new president Donna Hodge promises new changes
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