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When Dr. Devorah Lieberman turned president of College of La Verne in 2011, a non-public establishment of roughly 8,000 college students about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, she was in some ways seeing life come full circle. On the time she was supplied the place, she was the provost of Wagner Faculty in New York Metropolis, which brought about the hiring committee to ask how a New Yorker would adapt to Southern California. She knowledgeable them that, actually, she grew up about 5 miles from La Verne’s essential campus. Though she hadn’t lived within the space in many years, she noticed it as a homecoming.
College of La Verne President Dr. Devorah Lieberman is proven with graduating college students in 2013.
“When a tradition adjustments, it’s important to keep centered on the goodness within the establishment and never just a few unfavourable voices,” mentioned Lieberman. “Anyone who’s breaking any glass ceiling has to concentrate on the optimistic.”
Because the college advanced it has develop into more and more various. It’s a federally designated Hispanic Serving Establishment (HSI) in addition to one which celebrates many various cultures and backgrounds. Amongst Lieberman’s highlights is that the establishment has embraced the range of the area. In 2015, Lieberman was named President of the 12 months by the Affiliation of Faculty Unions Worldwide for supporting an inclusive and engaged campus group.
Lieberman advocates having delight in group. “Be pleased with the place you’re situated,” she mentioned. “Be pleased with the scholars who come to your establishment. Be pleased with the training you’re offering for these college students.”
Lieberman mentioned the college has embraced one thing they name the Mind Stay, which is college students coming from the area, getting educated, and remaining within the area to raise their communities. She notes that U.S. Information & World Report created a brand new class, social financial mobility, and College of La Verne ranked sixth within the nation. “The primary personal establishment that’s recruiting, retaining and graduating college students who’re going again to their communities … and bettering their neighborhoods,” she mentioned.
The third spotlight is that the college has embraced listening to the area and what leaders within the area say they want of their graduates. “In order that we graduate college students who meet the wants of employers within the industries,” Lieberman mentioned.
Having learn her work and been impressed together with her in the course of the interview course of, members of the board of trustees mentioned they noticed her as a president who may lead the establishment to its subsequent stage. Lieberman has written and co-authored a number of books and articles regarding variety, institutional transformation and points affecting increased training. Lieberman sees challenges as alternatives, so she noticed to it that the establishment absolutely embraced its HSI standing, which was not initially welcomed. She is proud that HSI standing is now an integral a part of the establishment and he or she is a presence nationally as a board member of the Hispanic Affiliation of Faculties and Universities in addition to being a California presence with frequent visits to Sacramento, the state capital, to weigh in on increased training points.
“The second large problem was we knew that if we had been going to offer the scholarships that the scholars wanted…we needed to elevate cash for scholarships for our college students,” Lieberman mentioned. “Many of the college students are middle- and low-income and first-generation. The problem was how can we elevate that cash as a result of that wasn’t a part of our ethos or our tradition.
“I needed to rise up and say, ‘It’s OK to ask for cash,’” she continued. “Within the final 12 years, we’ve raised not less than $170 million.”
In search of help
Turning challenges into alternatives was a part of the tradition shift. Early on, the college developed a extra strong development workplace and employed a consulting agency. There had by no means been a complete capital marketing campaign, so one was developed. Lieberman aimed to boost $125 million and achieved $128 million a yr forward of schedule.
At the beginning, there have been no main donors making multi-million-dollar contributions, however smaller donors got here by. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, seven nights every week she hosted digital dinners with donors by ordering meals from the donors’ favourite eating places and having it delivered to their properties. In Could, an unnamed donor dedicated to the most important present within the historical past of the college, $18.1 million. The donation didn’t come from an alumnus, mentioned Lieberman, nevertheless it got here from somebody who sees how La Verne serves its college students.
“I really like watching the donors’ faces after they give a present that they knew might be remodeling college students’ lives,” Lieberman mentioned.
To perform the objectives that the fundraising will allow, she sees it as important that the school, workers and board work collaboratively on the visioning for the college. This contains creating new means for retention. From the beginning of her presidency, Lieberman labored with college to reimagine the college’s tutorial and co-curricular applications, together with the creation of a Heart for Instructing and Studying and the Workplace of Civic Engagement. She oversaw a Campus Grasp Plan that mirrored the establishment’s core values, corresponding to variety and inclusion.
“I got here in with an idea for the undergraduates that I shared with the school referred to as The La Verne Expertise [that is part of the master plan],” Lieberman mentioned. “It needed to do with all freshmen taking a bundle of programs the place it was extra interdisciplinary and linked to the group. So, it will result in feeling that they belong right here on the college as a result of whenever you’re first-generation you don’t all the time really feel such as you belong. That’s now operating and stronger than ever.
“The sophomore yr takes one thing referred to as SoLVE (Sophomore La Verne Expertise), during which [students] get way more deeply linked to profession recommendation and the co-curricular actions taking place on campus,” she continues.
Tutorial progress
There has additionally been concentrate on the college’s tutorial applications. Beneath Lieberman’s management the college consulted with business leaders within the area about probably the most wanted professions. On account of these in depth interviews, La Verne created the Faculty of Well being and Group Nicely-Being and expanded the Faculty of Training. The college additionally developed applications in information analytics, synthetic intelligence, media and movie in addition to certificates applications. Tracks from undergraduate to graduate research allowed college students to see the profession potential of varied majors.
“We had been very centered on not telling the area what they wanted, however listening to the area for what they are saying they want after which adapting our instructional applications to their wants,” she mentioned. “That has been fantastic for us. Our enrollment is now going again up towards pre-pandemic ranges. Within the subsequent couple of years, they’ll do a further Grasp Plan, however we’ve been following what we mentioned we wanted to do with new buildings.”
Two residence halls, a eating corridor and a parking construction had been constructed throughout Lieberman’s presidency. The Randall Lewis Heart for Nicely-Being and Analysis and the Ludwick Heart for Spirituality, Cultural Understanding and Group Engagement had been additionally developed.
Lieberman’s doctorate is in intercultural communication, and he or she has carried out that mission and can proceed to take action. “My raison d’etre was to offer areas, locations and expertise for folks to cross strains of distinction,” she mentioned. She has gotten the campus lively in interfaith actions. The Ludwick Heart is an area with room for a number of religions.
“The constructing is an ideal instance of bringing folks collectively who’ve totally different cultures, ethnicities, religions and backgrounds,” she mentioned. “It’s about everybody in your campus saying, ‘That is the place I belong,’”
Along with the primary campus, La Verne has a number of regional campuses. The college is the most important single employer within the metropolis of La Verne.
Participating the group with the college has been considerate and strategic. La Verne is a small metropolis of about 33,000, however there are practically six million folks residing within the area. There’s something referred to as the president’s well being advisory council with roughly 40 main well being professionals (from hospitals and well being organizations) within the area, which meets frequently. Each time the Faculty of Well being and Group Nicely-Being holds an occasion, professionals from the area are invited.
“La Verne’s visibility has been raised as a result of there are issues taking place on the college that influence the group,” she mentioned.
After her presidency concludes in August, Lieberman will keep on as a part-time advisor to the brand new president for the following yr. She and husband Roger Auerbach will stay in Southern California. One in all their daughters is a professor at UCLA, and there’s a grandson they look ahead to visiting.
“I’m trying very fastidiously at the place I can proceed so as to add worth in increased training,” Lieberman mentioned. “Keep tuned.”
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