New Provost Allen discusses her goals

The new provost, Dr. Brenda Allen, has been getting acquainted with Winston-Salem State for about 150 days and counting.  But during her brief tenure, she has had "a productive six months."

Allen has more than 20 years experience in higher education, making her move to WSSU a natural progression.

When she was at Smith College, she was a professor in the psychology department for 14 years, and she was the special the assistant to the provost for one year. 

For five years, Allen was the associate provost at Brown University.

"I have spent 20 plus years  at institutions different from where I got my own education.   [Allen is a graduate of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Howard University.]

"I always knew I wanted to come back to an HBCU.

"I have had an opportunity to learn some great things from some of the best people in higher education and to do things in institutions that have a lot of resources where you can come to understand what really matters in student learning.

"At some point you know enough and you want to take it back to the communities that are high priority and for me those institutions are HBCUs," Allen said.

 Allen said that her priorities for the University include addressing the condition of Hill Hall, the former science building.  

She said she was shocked to find Hill Hall -- a big academic building in the middle of campus -- boarded up with chains on the doors.

"When you walk between the alley of Hill Hall and the Fine Arts building it can make you weep that the core of the campus has not received the kind of attention that I think it should, " she said.

"We are in the process of finding budget models that will allow us to invest in the core."

The provost said another  major initiative involves the University committees she oversees.

 "One of my first goals with the committees I run is to get as much diversity with the voices that are there. That includes adding students [as members] wherever possible," she said.

"We have to figure out how to have a presence of homecoming on the breezeway that also relates to what we are here to do."

She continued, "One of things we really want to do is to get the academic units more involved with homecoming.

 "Homecoming or anytime the alums come back is really about getting them to understand the challenges and academic challenges so that they will be giving donations and

money to support new initiatives, and it's always about the teaching and the learning." 

Allen said she wants student media including, SU Radio and The News Argus newspaper presence to continue to grow.  

"I'm really happy we have a student newspaper that is active. They are out doing their job. I think the way the Department of Mass Communications works with the newspaper is appropriate," Allen said.

The provost said she is still learning about the SU radio station and its role.  She has spoken with the faculty and staff in the DMC about what they want to do with the NPR [WSNC] station and how it relates to the radio station and to the DMC major.

"The kind of knowledge you gather from running whole radio stations can count so much more than any one course you take," Allen said.