Has Built Her Presidency Around Community , Relationships
Feature Article
Celebrating 10 Years at Siena Heights ,
Sister Peg Albert
Has Built Her Presidency Around Community , Relationships
By Doug Goodnough
Maybe it was a calling . She likes to refer to it as a “ nudge .” Regardless , accepting the job as President of Siena Heights University was something Sister Peg Albert , OP , PhD , felt compelled to do in the spring of 2006 . As she approaches her 10th anniversary as SHU President in July 2016 , Sister Peg can ’ t imagine being any place else . An Adrian Dominican Sister who had spent most of her adult life around family and friends and working at ADSsponsored Barry University in the warm and sunny comfort of Miami , Fla ., she now has firmly established her legacy in southern Michigan .
And what a legacy it is . Over the past decade , Siena Heights has “ grown up ” in many ways . In a period that included the worst recession in decades , where many higher education institutions had to scale back plans , projects and personnel , Siena Heights has bucked the trend . Enrollment increased , facilities improved , programs and positions added and prominence amplified .
All this has occurred using a collaborative leadership style she calls “ different ” than many of her presidential peers . She focused more on facilitating change rather than imposing it . After 10 years , Sister Peg not only reflects on her time and experience at Siena Heights , but also indicates she remains focused on increasing the reach of the Dominican Catholic university ’ s mission and vision in the years ahead .
Sunny South to Wintery North
In the winter of 2005 , Sister Peg happened be attending a meeting at the Motherhouse in Adrian when Sister Donna Markham , the ADS prioress at the time , asked to meet with her . Sister Donna said she had hoped to put forward a candidate from the congregation for the vacant Siena Heights presidency . Would Sister Peg be that candidate ?
“ I had to pray and think about it ,” she said . “ It was a big move for me , moving away from my family . Any move is difficult because you ’ re leaving what ’ s familiar to something that ’ s unknown . But I felt like God was really calling me to be here ( at Siena Heights ).”
She called the presidential interview process “ daunting ,” especially being peppered with many questions about her ability as a fundraiser . However , Sister Peg quickly became the favorite candidate of the search committee , and was soon offered the job of becoming Siena ’ s 10th President – and the first Adrian Dominican one in more than 30 years .
“ I could tell it was a good community of people ,” she said . “ And that was important . I saw a lot of potential , not that Siena hasn ’ t been a great university all along . But what it could become .”
A “ Can-Do ” Attitude
While Sister Peg saw Siena Heights ’ potential when she officially arrived on campus in July 2006 , she also was staring at a large budget deficit .
“ Siena was in worse shape than I thought ,” she said of the University ’ s financial situation at the time . “ I knew if we were going to succeed , we had to take some risks . You can ’ t do business as usual if you want a place to succeed . We had to change the culture somewhat .”
Bringing in a mantra of “ Be Bold . Think Higher ,” Sister Peg quickly addressed the “ culture ” that had crept into the thinking of many at the University .
“ I remember sitting at a meeting and hearing over and over and over again , ‘ We can ’ t do it because we don ’ t have any money ,’ ” Sister Peg said . “ I said , ‘ We have to change our way of thinking . We have to dream of what we want to do , then let ’ s go find the money .’ Once we had some success with O ’ Laughlin Stadium and the Spencer Athletic Complex , then I think people started to believe maybe we could do this .”
18 | Reflections Summer ’ 16