BY CONCORD STAFF
Following the passing of Bellarmine’s beloved former president Dr. Joseph McGowan on March 1, 2016, the executive vice president, Dr. Doris Tegart, began her year as the university’s interim president and the national search for a new president began.
From the beginning, Tegart made it clear that she wanted to continue her leadership beyond the interim period, spring 2016 until spring 2017, and is currently a candidate with the support of many students.
“It would honestly make me feel really good to have a female president that’s familiar with the way Bellarmine operates. Especially one that wants to put an emphasis on inclusion,” junior Kiana Benoff said.
While Tegart’s gender may seem irrelevant to the presidency, studies on women in leadership roles say that is not necessarily the case and we could be better for it.
In July 2016, CNN’s Gwen Young reported that female leaders are generally more compassionate and empathetic, as well as more open and inclusive when negotiating.
And she might be right. According to Drew Gannon of The Fiscal Times in May 2012, a study by the professional services consulting company Caliper found that “women demonstrated higher levels of compassion and team-building skills,” when compared to their male counterparts.
As Bellarmine focuses more on being inclusive of students of all backgrounds and identities, the university would benefit from a leader that understands Bellarmine’s student body and its diverse needs.
“She would represent the shift in culture that Bellarmine is experiencing as it focuses more on inclusion. I like that she has experience at Bellarmine and that she’s involved in the community,” senior Mary Sanders said.
In 2011, the American Council on Education also reported that only 26.4 percent of college leaders were female. This number only increased by 3.4 percent since 2006.
If Tegart were elected, she would not only be Bellarmine’s first female president; she would help break the pattern of older white men holding such positions at colleges across the country.
In contrast, Tegart would be in good company with the majority of university presidents who have historically been faculty first.
According to the American Council on Education, “an overwhelming majority [of university presidents] have served as full-time faculty members at some point in their career. Despite the changing nature of the path to the presidency, the share of presidents who have been full-time faculty members remained virtually unchanged between 2011 (70 percent) and 1986 (75 percent).”
According to bellarmine.edu, Tegart has been at Bellarmine for nearly 25 years and “served as a professor, department chair, dean” and finally a “variety of senior-level positions.”
For students, Tegart’s experience and knowledge of what it means to be a professor at Bellarmine, prior to being an administrator, is valued.
“As a student, I like the idea of being represented by someone that has been inside the classroom and who sees my college education as more than a business transaction,” Sanders said.
With so much experience at Bellarmine, Tegart is also invested in honoring the Catholic identity and focus on social justice that Bellarmine holds dear, despite not being Catholic herself.
And while some may question a move to hire a non-Catholic candidate as president of a Catholic university, for non-Catholic students, this is actually appealing.
“I love having Dr. Tegart as a representative of Bellarmine. As a non-Catholic woman, I like being shown that it’s not a ‘requirement’ to be a male Catholic to hold a position of power at an institution that is traditionally ran by Catholic men,” said junior Tonya Summerlin. “It is definitely a culture change, but I also think it’s very refreshing. Plus, I think she’s just a really great, experienced person, so that is just a bonus.”
Tegart embodies the understanding of Bellarmine’s Catholic heritage, focus on inclusion, and openness to change that will be necessary for the incoming president to have in order to lead the university as it evolves. With the experience required and student backing, Tegart should be elected Bellarmine’s fourth president.