HIGHER EDUCATION
HIGHER EDUCATION
A Conversation With The New Felician University President
By Larry Feld Contributing Editor
In February of this year , Mildred Mihlon , P . h . D became the seventh president of Felician University . The 100-year-old institution , founded by the Felician Sisters of Lodi maintains campuses in Lodi and Rutherford , New Jersey . With a full-time enrollment of 2,100 students in four schools , the university offers 60 career-focused programs ranging from undergraduate , pre-professional , certificate , and graduate programs . COMMERCE Magazine was fortunate to have a conversation with Dr . Mihlon recently and talk about her new role and the opportunities on the horizon at Felician .
Q : Please tell us a little about your educational and professional background . Dr . Mihlon : My educational background is in both psychology and education . I pursued my Ph . D . in educational psychology at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York . My emphasis was on child development . I also have a passion for teaching . That ’ s what I was preparing myself for as a college student before I pivoted into administration . However , I have always maintained a foothold in the classroom . It ’ s a love for me .
Before joining Felician , I worked for about 18 years at St . Peter ’ s University in Jersey City , serving the last ten years as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs .
Q : When you look back at your experience , what are you most proud ? Dr . Mihlon : I am most proud of my work supporting students ’ success , particularly firstyear students . We talk about access and affordability , but throughout my career and even now as President I have been hyper-focus on finding ways to get our students to the finish line and graduate .
Q : What are the challenges that keep students from graduating ? Is it financial ? Dr . Mihlon : It ’ s very easy to say it ’ s financial , right ? However , when you dive in a little bit deeper , sometimes it is really about the investment . First-year attrition students will tell us , the school wasn ’ t a fit for me , or I decided on a different major , or I was planning on transferring anyway . There are a variety of reasons . However , academic preparedness is a significant issue for us .
Many students struggle in their first year . It ’ s challenging . That is why it is so important to have the right support structures in place to help them be successful . Students need to learn how to navigate and who they can go to for help . To this end , we have invested in our academic support structures . As a result , last year our Fall-to-Fall first-year retention rate improved by 10 percentage points .
Q : Can you briefly describe how you arrived at Felician and your initial role here ? Dr . Mihlon : I arrived at Felician in 2020 first as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences . And I was attracted to that role for a variety of reasons . I live in Bergen County , very close to the campus , and I have two younger children . Also , my first professional job out of college was with the Felician sisters at another one of their former ministries . I maintain a fondness for the sisters and the Franciscan values .
Q : You joined Felician during a pandemic and managed to help secure $ 4.5 million in one grant . Can you tell us how that funding was used to improve the University ?
Our business partnerships are particularly important for a variety of reasons . Our industry leaders who serve on our advisory boards provide critical information and insight . Dr . Mihlon : We call that project FIESTA , which stands for fostering inclusive excellence for STEM ( Science , Technology , Engineering , and Math ) achievement . It is a federal grant . We focused on advancing educational and career outcomes for Hispanic students . We built two new chemistry and physics labs , a STEM Resource Center , and a multipurpose teaching and learning space . It also allowed us to develop summer bridge programs focused on STEM readiness and career awareness , as well as offering cost-of-living stipends to students . Our faculty also benefited from professional development opportunities . We also developed a STEM Advisory Board , a wonderful group of individuals who have great ideas .
Q : Have the new STEM resources lead to new degree programs ? Dr . Mihlon : Well , yes , we just recently approved two new graduate programs in STEM ,
Mildred Mihlon , P . h . D , president , Felician University
a Master ’ s of Cybersecurity and a Master ’ s of Data Science , and we are in the early stages of developing a Master ’ s in Biotechnology ,
Q : Now that you have moved from acting to permanent status , can you share your vision for the University moving forward ? Dr . Mihlon : Felician University enjoys a very long history rooted in our Franciscan values . We have always been an institution serving first-generation college students and I am committed to continuing that tradition . Continued emphasis will be on our core values , particularly relating to service , social justice , and equity as well as inclusion .
Q : Please share your thoughts on why STEM is important to you and the impact STEM will have on today and future students . Dr . Mihlon : So clearly , there ’ s great interest in demand in the STEM fields . Many of our students following STEM majors are females from minority backgrounds . For Felician , it ’ s really exciting to be able to advance these initiatives and increase the number of women and students of color in STEM fields . Considering New Jersey ’ s economy and workforce demands — health care , life sciences , and
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