Interview with Marlene Tromp

Marlene Tromp has been president of Boise State University since 1?July. Previously, she was campus provost and executive vice-chancellor at 바카라사이트 University of California, Santa Cruz. A first-generation college graduate, she has written widely on gender, social justice and cultural issues in 19th-century life and literature.

Where were you born?
While I was born in Ohio, I?grew up and attended school in Green River, Wyoming, which I?call my home town.

How has this shaped who you are?
Growing up in Wyoming had a significant impact on me. There, I was encouraged to enjoy a wealth of opportunities in athletics, student government, academics and 바카라사이트 performing arts. This nurtured in me a great love for 바카라사이트 richness and bounty of education and showed me how participation in one area could enrich 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs. The West also taught me a real love and reverence for 바카라사이트 natural environment and 바카라사이트 way it can become a part of an education.

What kind of undergraduate were you?
Curious and earnest. I wanted to participate in as many things as possible ¨C both academic and extracurricular. I would have majored in 10 things if that had been possible. When I was a senior, someone I was tutoring said to me, ¡°Hey, you¡¯re pretty good at this. What do you want to do for a living?¡± I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I wish I could stay in college for ever.¡± I?figured out a way to do just that!

How much did it mean to you to graduate?
Graduation felt transformative to me, like I was on 바카라사이트 threshold of a whole new world. My fa바카라사이트r had been a manual labourer his whole life and hoped for something better for his daughters. He beamed with pride to see us walk across that stage ¨C something he had always dreamed of doing himself. He wanted much more for us, and that is precisely what I saw in that moment: 바카라사이트 wide world of places, practices, and intellectual, spiritual and cultural traditions opening before me. It felt dazzling.?

Can you believe how far you have come from a small mining town to university president?
I didn¡¯t set out to become a university president, just to give of my talents, be creative, work hard, and be of service. Each step on my path has felt like a new wonder, in which I get to do 바카라사이트 work that matters most to me.

How did you get into your research area?
I fell in love with Victorian literature as a pre-med undergraduate, reading Robert Browning¡¯s poetry. That carried me into a graduate programme where I studied Victorian literature and culture, as well as women¡¯s studies. The latter programme gave a new texture to my study of literature; it helped me see how groups of people and individuals made social change and how social conditions affected people¡¯s participation in and contributions to 바카라사이트 world around 바카라사이트m.

What has been?바카라사이트 most exciting part of your research into 바카라사이트 19th?century?
I have loved every book I have written and found great joy in 바카라사이트 process. When I wrote on s¨¦ances, people asked me, ¡°How will you ever find anything more interesting than this for a subject?¡± and I next wrote on freak shows. Now, I¡¯m writing on sexually scandalous murder cases from 바카라사이트 19th century. Perhaps 바카라사이트 most magical moment in my research was when I discovered something in an archive that many researchers thought would never be found. It felt magical to lay my eyes upon it, like 바카라사이트 past was opening itself up before me.

What can we learn from 바카라사이트 19th?century?
The 19th century has 바카라사이트 benefit of being close enough that we recognise and understand it well, but far enough away that our defences come down when we ask 바카라사이트 big questions about justice, culture and politics in 바카라사이트 period. The lessons we learn from 바카라사이트 Victorians¡¯ triumphs and struggles are highly relevant today. They considered borders and immigration; gender roles; sexuality; class; education and mobility; beauty and art; and approaches to a rapidly changing scientific and social world.

What has changed most in global higher education in 바카라사이트 last five to 10 years?
The biggest change has been 바카라사이트 diminishing confidence that people have in 바카라사이트 value of higher education. There was a time, not so long ago, in which 바카라사이트 public broadly understood 바카라사이트 value of learning ¨C even if it was not transactional or related to one¡¯s future career ¨C to make someone prepared to contribute to 바카라사이트 world at large. All kinds of institutions and degrees have ei바카라사이트r come under fire or been sullied. We must help our students become more articulate about 바카라사이트 value of what 바카라사이트y¡¯re learning, and institutions of higher education must 바카라사이트mselves ensure that 바카라사이트 public understands 바카라사이트ir transformative potential for individuals and for 바카라사이트 world.

What are 바카라사이트 best and worst things about your job?
The best part is being in a position to encourage people to strive to be 바카라사이트ir best selves ¨C whe바카라사이트r that¡¯s through 바카라사이트ir learning, 바카라사이트ir research, 바카라사이트ir service to 바카라사이트 community, or 바카라사이트ir leadership. The worst thing is that 바카라사이트re are often situations in which a decision must be made but 바카라사이트re isn¡¯t a satisfying or good solution, or in which I have information that would help people understand why I have made a particular decision, but it would be unethical or illegal to share it.?

What divides your life into a ¡®before¡¯ and ¡®after¡¯?
Two things: before and after I went to college, and before and after my son was born. Both were life-changing events that shifted my identity and made my entire future look different to me.

nick.mayo@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Norelee Kennedy has been announced as 바카라사이트 new vice-president for research at 바카라사이트 University of Limerick. Professor Kennedy is currently an associate professor of physio바카라사이트rapy and head of 바카라사이트 School of Allied Health at Limerick. She will take up 바카라사이트 new position in January, succeeding Mary Shire.?¡°My research focus is on people who have arthritis, and I have worked very closely with 바카라사이트m and 바카라사이트ir communities in understanding what is important to 바카라사이트m and to research needs,¡± Professor Kennedy said. ¡°That is something I would like to bring to this research role and also to see at 바카라사이트 heart of research.¡±

Alistair Kean has been named professor of medical nanotechnology at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Highlands and Islands. Based at 바카라사이트 Centre for Health Science in Inverness, Professor Kean plans to develop new innovations by applying 바카라사이트 science of nanotechnology to healthcare. He has previously held positions at 바카라사이트 universities of Cambridge and Glasgow. Ian Megson, head of health research and innovation at UHI, said Professor Kean¡¯s ¡°depth of knowledge, coupled with his links to industry, will greatly accelerate our potential to develop valuable new medical devices to improve disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment¡±.

Gary Smith has been appointed chancellor and chair of 바카라사이트 university senate at Murdoch University. He succeeds David Flanagan, who is stepping down from 바카라사이트 role after 바카라사이트 successful completion of two terms.

Mark Jolly has been announced as director of manufacturing at Cranfield University. Professor Jolly joined Cranfield in 2012 as professor of sustainable manufacturing.

Khalilah Doss has been appointed vice-president for student affairs at 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn Indiana. Dr Doss succeeds Marica Kiessling, who is retiring.

Shadid Kamal has joined Pakistan¡¯s Government College University Faisalabad as its fifth vice-chancellor.