By Thomas Gibbons and Isabelle Schindler
In 1994, Donna Carroll became the first lay person to be President of Dominican University. The Sinsinawa Sisters of Dominican, who founded the school in 1901, decided to go away from tradition.
“As I look back, I was so blessed to have exposure to the Dominican Sisters,” Carroll said. “They are so proud of what we have accomplished and how strongly missioned-center we still are.”
Carroll announced last week to the Dominican community that she will be retiring at the end of the academic year. This decision was far from easy for Carroll, who was not afraid to show emotion in speaking of leaving Dominican.
So why step away now?
“When you are President, you always look for a moment to retire when the University is doing well and the leadership team is strong,” Carroll said. “While my heart aches to do it, our University ranks in the top 10 in the Midwest, we have a balanced budget, and our senior administrative team is strong.”
Dominican’s accomplishment of being a top-10 University in the Midwest is one of a long list of accomplishments for Carroll. The University also ranks first in Social Mobility and first in Best Values in Chicagoland according to the U.S. News and World Report. Other accomplishments during Carroll’s tenure include the full-time faculty has doubled, new schools and programs have been established, the operating budget increased four-fold, three campaigns raised over $165 million in new assets and the physical plant expanded significantly, including three new buildings and the purchase of a second campus.
The renovated library, including an enclosed terrace, and the state of the art Science building, Parmer Hall, are achievements Carroll highlights.
“I think they are all measures of deliberate strategic planning,” Carroll said. “When you are a small institution with high aspirations, you cannot do it all at once, but you can do an awful lot if you plan well and deliberately.”
When Carroll got to Dominican 26 years ago, she renovated the library. The plan was to include the terrace back then, but when it came down to pricing, the terrace had to be given up. A vision back then has now become a reality.
Parmer Hall is home to the many science programs Dominican offers. Carroll has overseen a lot of upgrades and expansions through her time here, and a science building was an integral part of Dominican’s mission. “A science building with high-tech labs and opportunities for undergraduate research is very much a part of University’s history reimagined for the future,” Carroll said. “It was about our historic strengths, traditions, what do we believe and how we make that relevant for the future of the institution.”
Dominican has a strong history of dedication to educate women in the arts and sciences at a time where the opportunity was not readily-available.
These projects are not cheap. Carroll was a fundamental part in fundraising for Dominican through speaking with alums, corporate partners, and community members. This comes through the school’s fundraising campaign, something Carroll has done four times, raising almost $200 million. “In talking with these groups, it has been my job to get them involved and excited in our story,” Carroll said. “We are Dominican by mission and by intention and to be able to do these big projects, it has to be done through philanthropy.”
Raising money through these avenues, Dominican can dedicate a lot of money into financial aid. This has allowed Dominican a chance to educate first generation college students and students of many different races and backgrounds.
“I am very proud of how we have evolved as an institution that successfully educates first-generation college students,” Carroll said. “When we talk about exclusive evidence, we really mean it. We are an outstanding academic institution, and it is an extraordinary thing to say that in the 589 regional universities in the country, Dominican is the only regional university in both top-10 in overall quality and diversity in our students.”
According to Carroll a search committee will be appointed next week to take on the task of interviewing candidates, in confidence, for the Presidency. The search committee will be a collaborative community consisting of 10-12 students, staff, and faculty. The search will narrow down 2-3 finalists and those candidates will be brought to Dominican to take a tour of the school and see how they fit in with everything.
It’s a process that can take a long time, but Donna Carroll is confident and says she will be around to help make decisions. “As I said to the board, I want them to take their time,” Carroll said. “I’m not rushing off to another presidency. So, I’ll be here helping and supporting as long as it takes for the board to find the right next president. I hope I have put in place a deep understanding of the mission that will be instructive for a new President, and I hope he or she falls in love with the mission and that is part of what makes it special.”
As for retirement, Carroll has no specific plans. At the end of her presidency, she has a sabbatical and as she put it, “I have plenty of time to figure things out.” Carroll stressed that she still wants to be active in the community, continue writing, and public speaking. “I will look at ways to make contributions to the field,” Carroll said. “The Presidency is not a job, it’s a lifestyle and I am looking forward to seeing what if feels like to be off that lifestyle.”
Over Carroll’s 26 years, some of her most proud moments consists of the name change of the school, the community she helped create among Dominican staff, students, and faculty, graduation rates, and the number of first-generation students that chose Dominican for their higher education. Carroll is extremely proud of how Dominican has evolved through time and while it will be ready to say goodbye soon, Dominican will continue to thrive with new leadership.
“Dominican has a great mission,” Carroll said. “People care about this place and Dominican has the core values that promise an enduring place.”
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